Arsenal's easier Premier League run-in is reason to be hopeful in battle with Manchester City

The defeat to City has inflicted more misery on what has been a disappointing few weeks for the Gunners, who, in the space of three days, could be second in the table for the first time in 197 days.

City are in control, beat Burnley on Wednesday by two goals and they go top, then comes the stressful part.

With five games remaining for both sides, it will be Arsenal clinging on to the hope of a City slip-up, which they can capitalise on.

But while all hope is slowly being squeezed out of Arsenal fans, there are reasons to be optimistic, with the run-in, on the surface, being more favourable for the Gunners compared to City’s.

Man City to be challenged by teams chasing Europe

City’s charge towards a fifth Premier League title in six seasons begins in deepest Lancashire against Burnley, who will be in the Championship next season, and with City experiencing what many are calling ‘the click’, it should be a foregone conclusion at Turf Moor, where for the first time this campaign, the Blues go top of the table.

Then comes the hard work.

City’s remaining five games are against Everton, Brentford, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace before hosting Aston Villa on the final day. The meeting with Palace is yet to have a fixture date.

Three of those five opponents still have goals to aim for. Everton, Brentford and Bournemouth have European aspirations, albeit Everton’s took a significant hit at the weekend in the Merseyside Derby defeat to Liverpool.

There was a period when Everton away was a fixture feared by City fans. The fans packed into Goodison Park brought an intense atmosphere, with Guardiola’s first trip to the blue side of Liverpool being a 4-0 thrashing.

With the momentum City are experiencing, it would not be a surprise if the Blues sweep Everton aside, but then again, this iteration of City are prone to mistakes.

The trip to Bournemouth is also set to be a tough task with it being Andoni Iraola’s last home game in charge of the Cherries. 

It will be an emotional day at the Vitality, and Iraola will want to make it a send-off to remember against one of world football’s biggest, and best teams.

City struggled at Bournemouth last season. The league meeting ended 2-1 to the Cherries, while their FA Cup quarter-final tie was roles reversed with City the victors thanks to an inspired performance by Nico O’Reilly in what was his breakthrough moment for the first team.

Brentford and Palace at the Etihad should not ring alarm bells. But both teams have proven in the past they can upset City on their own patch.

The Bees’ last gasp win in November 2022 was a masterclass in counter-attacking football, while Palace often produce one of their best performances of the season for the trip to East Manchester, along with scoring goal of the season contenders.

Then there is Villa on the final day, a repeat of a chaotic encounter four years ago, when goals from Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan completed a successful 3-2 comeback to become Premier League champions after going 2-0 down.

If everything goes City’s way, the Etihad will still be a pressure cooker, but Villa will only be four days removed from a potential Europa League final, along with being on the beach if Champions League football next season has already been secured.

Arsenal run-in hinges on difficult trip to West Ham

When it comes to Arsenal, their remaining five Premier League games should pose no major problems.

Newcastle United, Fulham, Burnley, West Ham and Palace are all in the bottom half of the table.

Newcastle and Fulham’s seasons are likely to end on a whimper; Burnley will be relegated by the time they face the Gunners, and Palace could be preparing for a Europa Conference League final.

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The only fixture which is a real danger is Arsenal's trip to West Ham on May 10.

West Ham are in a relegation battle with Tottenham, who are 17th, and have begun to change their fortunes just at the right time of the season.

With Leeds United coming to east London on the final day, West Ham will be hoping to have their Premier League survival confirmed by then, and a win against the Gunners could be enough.

With this match also taking place after the Champions League semi-final against Atletico, Arsenal could be battered and bruised, and facing a team battling for Premier League survival is not the best opponent after a physically taxing European tie.

Who has the easier run-in, Man City or Arsenal?

Right now, Arsenal have the easier run-in for this Premier League title race.

The momentum may be with City, but they do face teams which still need the points to secure those lucrative European places.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are going head-to-head with teams whose seasons are all but over.

If they can come through the trip to West Ham unscathed, then the Gunners will have passed the hardest test of their Premier League run-in.

However, if City do not stumble, then Arteta and his players will only have themselves to blame for losing control of a Premier League trophy charge which, a few weeks ago, looked like a foregone conclusion.

How to watch the Premier League in Canada

Soccer fans in Canada can watch every Premier League match during the 2025-26 season on DAZN.

With Fubo Sports on DAZN, Canadians can catch Premier League action as well as Serie A. Additionally, DAZN is the home of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Bundesliga and more.

For pricing information and to sign up to watch, click here.