Arsenal
Guardiola accepts City may now be favourites after Carabao Cup victory
City may be seen as favourites after Carabao Cup final win; next Sunday’s meeting could decide title.
Pep Guardiola has suggested Manchester City could now be viewed as genuine favourites in the Premier League title fight after their recent Carabao Cup triumph over Arsenal.
Arsenal sit six points clear, having played one game more than their rivals, with City hosting the Gunners next Sunday in a match that carries obvious title implications. Mikel Arteta’s side hold a marginally superior goal difference of three, a gap Guardiola said City can close.
City’s 2–0 win in the Carabao Cup final has altered the narrative around the two clubs. Reflecting on that game, Guardiola told Sky Sports: “In the Carabao Cup final City were complete underdogs. There is not one person in this country that would bet £1 that we would be much better. Maybe now it’s a bit different.” He added measured praise for Arsenal while outlining the challenge ahead: “The respect I have for Arsenal, what they have done the last few years … I know the manager, the players, the quality, how they compete in every circumstance, that’s the biggest job we have. There is tactical issue, maybe we will adjust something.”
Guardiola underlined the difficulty of repeating such a result soon after the final. “They have been the best team in this country, in Europe, so far. Beating Arsenal once is so difficult, imagine beating them twice in a few weeks. We have to rest.”
Beyond the talk, the title will be decided on the pitch, but the debate has shifted to form and mentality as much as raw points. Arsenal have faced renewed criticism over late-season lapses after another sequence of dropped results. After losing just three times in 49 games, Arsenal have now fallen to defeat in three of their last four, losing the Carabao Cup final before being dumped out of the FA Cup to turn their quadruple charge into a limp towards what would still be a famous double.
City arrive at the weekend tie buoyed by a cup victory and a manager willing to rethink his side’s position in the title race.
Arsenal
How City and Arsenal’s Remaining League Schedules Stack Up as Title Race Tightens
City applied pressure after Brentford; Arsenal must win all three remaining league games, to clinch.
Manchester City closed some of the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal with victory over Brentford on Saturday evening, re-applying pressure as the run-in approaches. Arsenal control their own fate: they will win a first title in over two decades as long as they taste victory in each of their last three league fixtures. City must hope for slip-ups from the Gunners while navigating their own commitments.
Arsenal face an immediate test on Sunday as the in-form Gunners travel to relegation-threatened West Ham United for their 36th match of the season. That trip represents the biggest banana skin remaining on Arsenal’s schedule, with their motivated hosts scrapping for survival and capable of making life awkward for Mikel Arteta’s side. Still, the league leaders will be strong favorites to clinch three points.
Arsenal’s penultimate Premier League fixture reads Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on May 18. Burnley are already relegated, have lost their previous five in all competitions and have managed just one Premier League win since the start of November. Arsenal finish the season with a London trip to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on May 24. Palace could rest personnel ahead of their Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano three days later.
Man City’s schedule includes a rearranged fixture with Crystal Palace this coming Wednesday. Crystal Palace have occasionally proven a thorn in City’s side, most notably triumphing over Pep Guardiola’s men in last year’s FA Cup final. City also have this term’s FA Cup final against Chelsea next Saturday. Three days after the Wembley showdown, they return to Premier League action away at Bournemouth on May 19. Other fixtures for City include Crystal Palace (H) on May 13 and Aston Villa (H) on May 24.
With Arsenal needing three straight wins to secure the title and City still pressing, the closing weeks of the season will be decisive for both clubs.
Analytics & Stats
Opta Simulations Leave Arsenal Favoured as City Cut Lead to Two Points
Opta’s simulations keep Arsenal favourites despite City’s late wins and a tightening title race ’26.
Opta’s supercomputer still ranks Arsenal ahead in the title race despite Manchester City’s late reply at Brentford and a tightening gap. City reduced Arsenal’s lead to two points with both clubs having three matches remaining, but the model continues to favour the Gunners in most scenarios.
Jérémy Doku had been on target twice against Everton on Monday night, yet those goals could not stop City dropping points in a 3–3 draw. Erling Haaland, who scored against Brentford, insisted his team were “still in it” after the Everton setback. Saturday’s reaction at Brentford and the potential importance of goal difference in this finish were both underlined by City’s late flurry.
Opta’s projections list Arsenal on 76 actual points with a predicted 82.37 points and a 79.7% chance of winning the title. Manchester City sit on 74 actual points with a predicted 79.55 points and a 20.3% title probability. Arsenal were given an 85% chance of winning the league in the immediate aftermath of City’s stumble on Merseyside earlier this week.
The computer’s view takes in upcoming schedules. City are shown with fixtures against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa either side of a trip to Bournemouth, a sequence the model judges tricky because Bournemouth remain in the chase for Champions League qualification.
Elsewhere, Manchester United’s place in the Champions League was effectively sealed as they crawled to a goalless draw with Sunderland in their first game after securing qualification. Opta projects United to reach 68.01 points with a 100% chance of qualifying for Europe’s top competition. Liverpool drew 1–1 with Chelsea and still need another win to guarantee a top-five finish. “We wanted to qualify for it weeks ago,” Slot sighed. “It isn’t the season we’re having, though. Sometimes it is really hard to accept these results because we are used to different ones.”
Bournemouth’s manager reflected on survival and ambition after a 1–0 win over Fulham. “Today was a very important step forward,” Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola beamed after his side battled to a 1–0 win over Fulham on Saturday, “but we still have to get more points.” Brighton’s captain also noted the season’s extremes. “It’s a mental season,” club captain Lewis Dunk gushed, “one minute we’re looking at relegation and now we’re talking about Europe, it’s great fun football, isn’t it?”
On the bottom end, Tottenham conclude the matchday with a crunch clash against Leeds on Monday and their chances of survival have improved, while West Ham do not face Arsenal until Sunday.
Arsenal
A First Look at 2026–27 Premier League Away Shirts: Leaks and Confirmations
Leaked images and confirmed details offer a first look at several 2026-27 Premier League away kits.
Away shirts often provide designers the most latitude, and the first leaks for the 2026–27 Premier League season underline that freedom. Clubs have shown a mix of retro echoes and bold departures across a series of projected away kits.
Arsenal’s leaked away shirt has been described as a “reverse” of the club’s famous ‘Bruised Banana’ design from the early 1990s. That original 1992–93 team finished 10th in the inaugural Premier League season as George Graham’s side struggled to adapt to the new back-pass law. The reimagined concept pairs a navy base with the iconic zig-zag pattern and red and yellow accents.
Aston Villa are expected to revisit sky blue for their away option, a shade they last used in 2022–23, Unai Emery’s first season after the end of Steven Gerrard’s tenure.
Bournemouth have kept details tight after announcing a new manufacturer in May. “We’re delighted to announce a new multi-year partnership with Hummel – a club-record kit deal for #afcb ❤️🖤”
Chelsea’s projected away kit uses Nike’s ‘Midwest Gold’ on a predominantly black base, drawing comparison with the club’s 2012–13 strip. That season concluded with Rafael Benítez guiding a fractious fanbase to Europa League success. The club’s managerial future and the identity of any shirt sponsor remain uncertain.
Leeds United’s away proposal would reintroduce an adidas trefoil on clubwear for the first time since 2020 and is expected to feature a white Yorkshire rose within a predominantly yellow shirt.
Liverpool’s leaked image looks close to 2025–26, with a shade nearer to white than cream and speculation the adidas trefoil could replace the three stripes. The design may also reuse the retro badge deployed on the club’s 2025–26 green third shirt, a shield inspired by the 1987–92 device.
Puma’s work for Manchester City has ranged widely; after the divisive 2025–26 grey and neon green mix, the next leak appears more subdued: largely black with gold trim, recalling the 2013–14 championship design. Manchester United are linked to a royal blue away shirt inspired by the SHARP era, while Newcastle United’s projected kit draws on St. James’ Park brickwork and could revive the 1976–83 badge with a magpie before a castle.
