Premier League fixtures have helped Man City in title race with Arsenal

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City would rather have the points on the board - and who can blame them?

Arsenal are sitting in the best position to win the Premier League, eight points clear of the reigning champions even if they have played a game more, meaning City have to hope for some help from other teams. If Mikel Arteta's side win their remaining games, nobody can stop them.

Given the two teams play each other before the end of the season though, at least one of them is guaranteed to drop points. The fact that Liverpool and Chelsea are included on both sets of fixture lists adds further opportunities for slips.

Also read: Liverpool appeal to Premier League over away allocation for Man City clash

It is here where City are helped by the fact that all three of these fixtures are at the Etihad. That is of course only the case because they have already played the teams away, but having worked themselves into the position they are in they can now look forward to three tough games at home.

Against all three, they have excellent records under Guardiola. Arsenal have lost all of their last seven fixtures there in all competitions, Chelsea have only won two out of eight, and Liverpool have won just one out of eight; each has already lost away to City this season in either the League Cup, the FA Cup, or both.

As well as having to travel to the Etihad to face a team that they have already lost home and away to this season, Arsenal will also have to face Liverpool at Anfield - a ground where last season they trained in the build-up to it to You'll Never Work Alone to try to prepare for the atmosphere, but lost 4-0. The last time Arsenal beat Liverpool at Anfield, Arteta was in the Gunners team more than a decade ago and still