Will Arsenal win the Premier League title race? Their four best chances to overtake Liverpool revealed | OneFootball

Arsenal are Liverpool‘s closest challengers in the Premier League title race. But can they catch the Reds?

At the moment, Liverpool sit six points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. But that gap could be extended to nine by the time Arsenal next kick off. That’s because Liverpool will play their game in hand, against Everton, before the next official round of fixtures.

As a result, Liverpool are odds-on favourites to win the title. Not that Arsenal will go down without a fight, until it’s mathematically impossible for them to overtake Liverpool.

The question is, do the Gunners have enough opportunities to cut down the points gap? Once Liverpool face Everton, both them and Arsenal will have 14 league games left of the season. Despite Liverpool’s dominating form, there will be chances.

Below, we’ve picked out what we feel are Arsenal’s four best gameweeks to potentially chase down Liverpool to take the title.

Gameweek 26

The first opportunity for the gap to be reduced isn’t too far away. Now, Manchester City aren’t the powerhouse they usually are this season, but it will still be tough for Liverpool to go to the Etihad. A lot tougher than Arsenal’s home game against West Ham United, at least.

Arsenal have the benefit of playing first that weekend, knowing they can put the pressure on Liverpool. The Gunners have won their last two games against West Ham by an aggregate score of 11-2. Although both of those victories did come at the London Stadium, Arsenal will still be boosted by their home form. Arsenal are the only team yet to lose at home in the Premier League this season, winning eight and drawing four of their 12 matches so far. West Ham are also struggling to find their feet under Graham Potter.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are the only team not to lose a game away from home this season. They’ve won nine and drawn three of their 12 league matches on the road. But, they have been known to drop points in the league at the Etihad. Man City are unbeaten in their past eight home league games against Liverpool, since a 1-4 defeat in November 2015. Man City have won four of those games, with four draws.

Gameweek 34

If Arsenal do wish to overtake Liverpool, they may have to be patient. The next time they have an obviously favourable matchup isn’t until Gameweek 34. Both teams are at home that gameweek, with Arsenal hosting Crystal Palace. Now, the Eagles do have the best away defensive record this season, conceding just 11 goals on the road. But Arsenal are the best home team in the league, unbeaten in their 12 games at the time of writing, winning eight and drawing four. And, Arsenal have won their past six games against Palace across all competitions, including twice already this season.

Liverpool entertain Tottenham Hotspur that same weekend, and these games are usually filled with drama and goals. Of course, Arsenal won’t have happy memories of relying on a Tottenham result against title rivals. Liverpool have won three of their past five games against Tottenham, including a 4-0 win in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg. They’re also unbeaten at home against Tottenham since May 2011. But, Tottenham will hope to be fresher by the time they visit Anfield in April, particularly in defence. Things aren’t certainly in Arsenal’s favour, but they have a chance.

Gameweek 35

The potential title-changing games come thick and fast. In Gameweek 35, Arsenal have another home game, this time against Bournemouth. Over the winter, Bournemouth were one of the best teams in the Premier League alongside Arsenal and Liverpool, going on a long unbeaten run. But that run was ended by Liverpool, and now Arsenal will be hoping to copy their rivals. Again, Arsenal’s home form will come into play here, and their record against Bournemouth. The Gunners have never lost at home to the Cherries across all competitions. In fact, they boast a perfect record in the eight matches these two have contested at Highbury and the Emirates.

Again, Liverpool have a game they probably can expect to win. But it won’t be easy as they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea. The Blues have been an interesting team this season, hard to predict what their results will be. They have fared better on the road than at home, and don’t have a good record against their fellow Big Six sides. But, Liverpool haven’t won in their past three visits to Stamford Bridge — drawing all three.

This gameweek will also come between potential Champions League semi-finals for Liverpool and Arsenal. And if you had to pick between these two fixtures, you’d much rather have Bournemouth at home than Chelsea away.

Gameweek 36

In an ideal world for the neutral, it could all come down to this. If the first three fixtures go Arsenal’s way, this could be their chance to take hold of the title race in the dying stages. It would be all on them.

Liverpool have the upper hand in this game, no matter the layout of the league, hosting Arsenal at Anfield. The Reds have lost just once at home so far this season, beaten by Nottingham Forest in September. Arsenal, meanwhile, are the third-best away team in the Premier League — but they’ve only won six of their 12 games on the road.

Arsenal also haven’t won at Anfield in their last 14 visits, since a 0-2 defeat in September 2012. Although they did knock the Reds out of the Carabao Cup in October 2020, they had to do so after penalties. This is by no means an easy game for Arsenal, but it’s the one match of Liverpool’s that the Gunners can fully control.

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