Arsenal’s primary Premier League title rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool, meet on Sunday afternoon at the Etihad.
The Gunners currently sit six points clear of City in second, and seven clear of the Merseysiders in third, after ten matches.
Mikel Arteta’s side face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday evening, giving them an opportunity to move nine points clear and pile the pressure on their rivals before the showdown in Manchester.
By the end of the weekend, the Gunners could have a commanding lead over both teams, or at least one of City or Liverpool could be almost entirely out of the race.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty ImagesArsenal should want anything but a Manchester City win on Sunday
Arsenal are now being tipped as favourites for the title by many pundits, and for good reason.
The Gunners are on an outstanding run, winning their last ten matches in all competitions, as well conceding in none of their last eight games.
However, as good as Arteta’s team are, their competitors should not be ruled out yet. Erling Haaland is in rampant form for City, which means that Pep Guardiola’s side will inevitably be a danger to Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have won their last two matches without conceding, and are beginning to look more cohesive with their new signings.
Fortunately for the Gunners, the two sides meet this weekend. If Arsenal manage to beat Sunderland, then the loser of the clash in the north-west will likely be too far adrift of the North Londoners to mount a comeback over the remaining 27 matches.
This will mean that Arsenal will only have to fend off one real competitor to win the piece of silverware that has eluded them for so long.
However, a draw would be an even better result for the Gunners. It would leave them nine clear of Liverpool and eight clear of City, which is already close to being an unassailable lead, particularly at this early stage of the season.
Fundamentally, anything but a City victory is good news for Arteta. Guardiola’s side look like the more capable competitors in the long-run, and thus, them dropping points now will suit Arsenal.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesThe numbers show that Man City are more likely to compete with Arsenal than Liverpool
Liverpool being seven points behind Arsenal, and City being nine back, is much more appetising for the Gunners than City being six back and Liverpool ten.
This is because, as the numbers clearly show below, the Manchester outfit look stronger than their Merseyside counterparts.
Statistical Comparison 2025/26 (Premier League Only) – via FBRef – as of 07/11/2025
Liverpool have conceded several more goals and expected goals than their two title rivals, clearly showing that they are the worst defensively of the title contenders, and by quite some distance.
Meanwhile, the attacking data indicates that the three teams are similar in terms of their ability to create chances.
Ultimately, these statistics suggest that Liverpool are likely to fall behind the other two over the course of the season, which is why Arsenal should hope that the Reds claim all three points if a draw can’t materialise on Sunday.