The Cityzens, the Reds and the Gunners - end of the season takes and opinions
By Hidayah Ali
Manchester City are only 12 fixtures away until the end of the 23/24 Premier League season. Man City are currently placed second, with 59 points, after their win over Bournemouth over the weekend. They are now one point behind Liverpool and one ahead of Arsenal.
As we approach the final few months of the Premier League, many are starting to guess and share thoughts on who out of these three clubs will claim the League title.
All three sides have already earned a trophy this season, with Man City winning the UEFA Super Cup over Sevilla at the beginning of the season and recently bagging the Club World Cup against Fluminense. At the same time, Arsenal claimed the Community Shield against City, and Liverpool only recently surpassed Chelsea in extra-time to lift the Carabao Cup.
Besides the English League, the trio are still in contention for other titles; for Manchester City and Arsenal, the Champions League second-legs are upcoming to determine if they advance to the quarter-finals. If they both were to, their whole journey to potentially winning the UCL would be shown during the draw in a few weeks.
Liverpool also have European football to dream about as they prepare for the last round of 16 of the Europa League next week after they got to sit back and relax as some of the other remaining teams had to go through qualifying rounds.
And finally, City and Liverpool are both present in the FA Cup. For City, a massive 6-2 victory over Luton Town has secured their place in the next round, and Liverpool have also gotten past Southampton.
As for the Premier League, it's anyone's for the taking now; anything can happen with such a tiny margin separating first to third.
Manchester City have had a few disappointing results throughout the League, with three losses and five draws up till this point.
Now, here are our takes on the big three's chances going ahead to the end of the 23/24 season.
FA Cup
Man City: No
I've explained my reasoning for this has been presented for this before. But, in a nutshell, I believe City is more than capable of accomplishing anything, especially after seeing their performance against Luton Town a few days ago; it shows the club's level.
But, at the same time, we have seen on a few occasions this season that City are finding it more challenging to secure wins. Therefore, the FA Cup might not stay with the Cityzens this year.
Liverpool: Yes
Liverpool just picked up the Carabao Cup against Chelsea by an extra-time winner by Virgil Van Dijk. With Jurgen Klopp playing his final games with the club this season, the determination to bag as many trophies as possible will be greatly worked towards, and now that they've already claimed one, he'll have his sights focused on the three other titles.
For me, Klopp and the squad potentially winning this season's FA Cup, of course, depends on who they play if they were to reach the final, but for now, Liverpool do remain at the top of the favourite list.
Champions League
Manchester City: Yes
You might find it slightly strange that I've said yes to the Champions League and not to the FA Cup, but this is based on the performances and the probability that Manchester City would prefer to secure another UCL title, especially with their high potential to do so again.
Arsenal: No
My simple and short answer is no. I cannot see or believe that Arsenal would win the Champions League; it's too big of an ask for them to do so. While I can see their scoreline of 1-0 to Porto turning around in the next leg and Arsenal advancing to the next round, there's nothing else I can say besides that.
Premier League
Manchester City: Yes
It's such a close title race, and while it has been disappointing for City compared to last year, I do think that Man City will do it and win this season's Premier League.
Arsenal: No
Despite the little point gap, I believe Arsenal won't be able to get on first, especially with City and Liverpool ahead of them; the chance of overcoming them looks really unlikely.
Liverpool: 50/50
I can't say yes or no. They're in excellent form; they want to give Klopp the perfect goodbye from the club. They clearly have a massive goal, so everything seems like it's falling into place for Liverpool. But we've seen them against Arsenal and know they aren't unstoppable.
I can't decide on a concrete answer for the Liverpool supporters for these two reasons. But, I will add that I think the reds have a great chance of winning the Europa League and do have the chance to do so.
And there we go; those are my takes on how the end of the season for these Premier League clubs could go.