Former Arsenal left-back Nigel Winterburn has publicly backed his old club to clinch the Premier League title this season, despite a daunting upcoming fixture against rivals Manchester City. The Gunners travel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon for a match that could prove decisive in the championship race.
Arsenal's Recent Struggles and the Stakes at the Etihad
Mikel Arteta's side enters this critical encounter in a patchy run of form, having suffered defeats to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, Southampton in the FA Cup, and Bournemouth in the league over recent weeks. Another loss to Pep Guardiola's team this weekend would see the gap at the top of the table shrink to just three points.
With City also holding a game in hand, a repeat of the 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat could shift momentum decisively in their favour for the final fixtures. This is a concerning prospect for Arsenal, who have led the league for almost the entire campaign.
Winterburn's Unwavering Confidence
Nevertheless, club legend Winterburn remains optimistic about Arsenal's chances of securing their first league title since 2004. Speaking via a comparison platform, the former defender stated, "I've been so strong on us winning the league throughout this season, I am not going to change my mind now."
He added, "I'm going to hope that we can go and put on a brilliant display at City, which will then push us to the title. So I think we'll be first."
Predictions for the Top Five and Champions League Places
Winterburn also offered his predictions for the rest of the Premier League's top five, noting that the division will have at least five teams in the Champions League next season after securing a European Performance Spot for the second consecutive year.
The Premier League has dominated the European Performance Spot table this season, with all nine English clubs reaching the last sixteen in European competitions. Arsenal's recent 1-0 victory over Sporting CP helped secure that fifth Champions League qualification place.
Winterburn forecasted, "Man City will be second, I think it's going to be as it is, maybe Man United third, Aston Villa and then Liverpool. I don't know whether I see any significant changes along the way."
Chelsea's Uphill Battle
He expressed doubt about Chelsea's ability to break into the top five, saying, "There might be someone, potentially Chelsea, that could come and disrupt that a little bit, but will any of the other teams? I'm not sure they will. Everybody seems to be putting themselves in a good position and then trying to throw it away."
Winterburn reflected on the unpredictable nature of this season, noting, "But I think this season's been like that, hasn't it? There's been a lot of dropped points from teams that you probably wouldn't expect to drop points."
Current Standings and the Weekend's Other Fixtures
Manchester City currently sit on 64 points, while cross-city rivals Manchester United, under interim manager Michael Carrick, hold third place with 55 points. Unai Emery's Aston Villa are level on points with United but trail on goal difference in fourth.
Liverpool complete the top five with 52 points, though Chelsea, Brentford, and Everton are close behind with 48, 47, and 47 points respectively. As Arsenal seek a crucial first win over City this season on Sunday, the earlier kick-off will feature Everton attempting to cause an upset in the Merseyside Derby.
