Arsenal are gearing up for one of their biggest games in years as they make the trip to Manchester and face title rivals Manchester City in the Premier League. The Gunners currently lead the race by five points, but with two extra games played, it means the title is finely poised.
The head-to-head clash could have a huge sway on the rest of the campaign, with the north London outfit able to take the initiative if they win. Mikel Arteta was keen to emphasis that while the game is important, there are still plenty of fixtures to focus on after the title fight.
"We knew from the beginning that City was the team to beat with Liverpool because of what those teams have done in the past few years," the Spaniard said in his pre-match press conference. "They fully deserve that credit and to be at the top. We wanted to close that gap as much as we could and we’re toe-to-toe with them.
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"We knew we had to go to the Etihad, we know that after that we’re going to have five more difficult games. We know tonight is going to be a massive game. Is it going to define the season? The answer is no."
While there is no guarantee over whether Arsenal will win the league, they are confirmed to finish above north London rivals Tottenham this season. It was a theme played on by a train driver taking Arsenal fans from London to Manchester that featured football.london Arsenal writer Tom Canton.
The driver said over the tannoy: "No matter what happens tonight, it could be worse, you could be a Spurs fan.”
It's a hilarious jibe that could put into perspective for some just how well the season has gone for the Gunners, even if they don't manage a title win at the end of it.
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