The Premier League title race could get even more exciting this Sunday, as Liverpool have the chance to go top before Manchester City welcome title rivals Arsenal.
Jamie Carragher has told Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal they will need 90 points to win the Premier League title.
The three sides are separated by just one point with 10 games to go, and with Man City hosting Arsenal this Sunday, the title race could get a lot more interesting very soon. Carragher believes that if Arsenal beat the reigning champions in their own backyard, then the Gunners – who are currently top on goal difference – will be considered favourites.
But there’s a magic number for each team to aim for, according to the ex-Liverpool defender. In his Telegraph column, Carragher proclaimed: “For me, 90 points will win the title this season. If so, the margins are so small that anything more than a couple of draws for one of the contenders will spell the end. That’s what makes Sunday so huge.”
Arsenal and Liverpool currently have 64 points while Man City sit on 63. Liverpool play first on Sunday and a win would take them top, if only temporarily. The Reds would then be hoping for a draw between their two rivals which would see Jurgen Klopp’s side stay in first place by two points.
Only twice since Leicester City miraculously won the Premier League with 81 points in 2016 have the title winners ended up with fewer than 90 points. Last season, City tallied 89 en route to an historic Treble win thanks to their FA Cup and Champions League triumphs.
But if Pep Guardiola’s men lose to Arsenal, Carragher believes that it would be Mikel Arteta and co in the driving seat. “A win at the Etihad would erase any lingering negative assessments of Arsenal,” the Liverpool icon affirmed. “They will be favourites if they beat City as it would give them the confidence to believe they can and should win all their remaining games.”
Nevertheless, Carragher still reckons that Man City are more than capable of winning the league – even if they lose to the visitors on Sunday. Speaking on The Overlap, the former England international explained: “I think even if City lost on Sunday, they can still win the league.
“If Arsenal get beat, I don’t see how they can win the league. So my point, I’ve been thinking, ‘Surely you’d want City to lose’, but I don’t see Arsenal winning the league if they get beat. From a Liverpool point of view you’d actually be fighting against one team [if City win].”
