Arsenal seek to ramp up heat on Man City in title race

LONDON: Arsenal have a chance to crank up the pressure on Manchester City this weekend as they seek to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners can go six points clear of their in-form rivals if they beat Fulham on Saturday, two days before City face a tricky trip to Everton. 

At the other end of the table, West Ham face Brentford while relegation rivals Tottenham take on Aston Villa.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the action:

Tight margins

Arsenal can pull well clear of Manchester City, at least for 48 hours, but they must rediscover their scoring touch in a season that could be decided by the tightest of margins.

Before the Gunners’ win against Newcastle last weekend, the top two were level on points and goal difference.

Arsenal know even if they win their four remaining games it may not be enough — they have failed to score more than one goal in any game since mid-March.

City, with a game in hand, have clicked into gear and are scoring much more freely than their rivals.

Former England defender Gary Neville believes Arsenal will have to be “wheelbarrowed” over the line if they are to win their first Premier League title since 2004.

“They’re not going to sail over the line — it’s going to be a real struggle. They’re not going to all of a sudden hit form in this next couple of weeks,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast.

Spurs count cost of injuries

Just when Tottenham showed encouraging signs of life under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, their injury curse has struck again.

Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons suffered a serious knee injury in last week’s 1-0 win at relegated Wolves, while Dominic Solanke could miss the rest of the campaign with a hamstring issue.

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