London: North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will both have the chance to pile the pressure on Pep Guardiola by leapfrogging his Manchester City side at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday. The Gunners, level on points with City, are at home to struggling Middlesbrough while Spurs, a point behind, travel to Bournemouth.
City, still smarting from Wednesday’s 4-0 Champions League loss away to manager Guardiola’s former club Barcelona, are not in action again until Sunday when they face Southampton at Eastlands. Should Arsenal and Tottenham both slip up, City could still yield top spot to Liverpool if the Merseysiders, currently two points off the summit following their goalless draw with Manchester United, beat West Bromwich Albion at Anfield on Saturday.
Arsenal thrashed Ludogorets 6-0 in the Champions League in midweek, with Mesut Ozil scoring a hat-trick against the Bulgarians at the Emirates. The Gunners are now unbeaten in 11 matches and veteran manager Arsene Wenger said: “I feel that at the moment, because we win game after game, our confidence is high.”
Middlesbrough, by contrast, are without a win in their last six league matches and are only above the relegation zone on goal difference. Tottenham face a potentially tricky trip to south coast side Bournemouth, who’ve won plaudits for the quality of their football under young English manager Eddie Howe. “The job he has done is unbelievable. They show every week that they’re a team with principles,” said Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.
