Arsenal postponement hands Man City perfect title race opportunity they can't afford to waste

The decision to postpone Manchester City's trip to Arsenal this week could add further complications down the line for the Blues, with a possible title-decider now having to be squeezed into the New Year fixture schedule among three other competitions.

Had City travelled to the Emirates this week, they may have been facing an Arsenal side on top form and full of confidence, but at least they would have got a difficult fixture out of the way. As it happens, on the back of the eventful defeat at Liverpool, it could be a blessing in disguise not to face the Gunners now, as Mikel Arteta's men would have to defy plenty more expectations to remain top of the Premier League by the time it is eventually rescheduled.

Instead, City get a much-needed week off to rest and recuperate, working on the training ground to go again for the final seven fixtures before the World Cup. Without the prospect of a trip to the in-form league leaders, City can be confident of bouncing back with some hand-picked fixtures for rebuilding momentum.

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While the rest of their Premier League rivals slog it out this week, City can put their feet up and lick their wounds from their trip to Anfield. When they take to the field against Brighton on Saturday, they should have a point to prove and an ideal opponent for them to make it.

Brighton are without a win in four, without a goal in three, and haven't scored at the Etihad in their last four visits stretching back to 2018. They have one win in 11 meetings with City, and appear shot of confidence after blanks against Brentford and Nottingham Forest. If Guardiola was to pick an opponent to face this weekend to quickly