Arsenal given huge Premier League title race boost as Man City face daunting problem

Arsenal look to have been handed an advantage in their Premier League run-in as they face off with Man City for the Premier League title

Arsenal have been handed a boost in their Premier League title battle with Manchester City with the Gunners facing a much more localised away schedule than their rivals. After three agonising second-place finishes in a row, Arsenal are aiming to end their 22-year long league title drought this season.

However, Mikel Arteta is once again being forced to battle Pep Guardiola’s City, who denied them in both 2023 and 2024. The Gunners currently lead City at the top of table by five points, albeit with the Sky Blues having a game in hand.

The majority of the games that Arsenal have left to play this season are taking place in the south. Arteta's side have ten games left to seal Premier League immortality while City have eleven - this includes five away games for Arsenal and six for City.

The amount of time spent travelling via plane, coach or train can have a seismic effect on teams as it can affect player's conditioning, recovery and mental acuity.

The Gunners do have a tricky tie away to City in April, a game which could operate as a title decider, which is a round trip consisting of 410 miles. That represents their biggest journey until the end of the current campaign.

City, on the other hand, face a tie away to Bournemouth which will see the Citizens undertake a staggering 500 mile round trip, their longest in the league this season.

An 820 mile round journey, combined, to West Ham and Chelsea is also on the cards for Guardiola's side. In total, Arsenal will travel 826 miles to away games until the end of the season.

City's mileage is almost double the North London side's with a whopping 1,534 miles waiting for them, handing Arteta a slight but not insignificant advantage. Here, we take a look at each side's away ties and how much road they will each cover.

Arsenal's away game mileage (round trip)

• Brighton (Amex Stadium): 30 miles
• Manchester City (Etihad): 410 miles
• West Ham (London Stadium): 12 miles
• Crystal Palace (Selhurst Park): 24 miles
• Total: 576 miles

Manchester City’s away game mileage (round trip)

• Leeds United (Elland Road): 84 miles
• West Ham (London Stadium): 410 miles
• Chelsea (Stamford Bridge): 410 miles
• Burnley (Turf Moor): 60 miles
• Everton (Hill Dickinson Stadium): 70 miles
• Bournemouth (Vitality Stadium): 500 miles
• Total: 1,534 miles

When it comes to home games, Arsenal still have to face: Chelsea, Everton, Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Fulham and Burnley. At the Etihad Stadium, City will play: Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Brentford and Aston Villa.

Arsenal kept the pace at the top of the table, beating rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 last weekend. City also kept up the pressure with a 2-1 win over Newcastle.

Arteta was in a buoyant mood after the victory. He believes Arsenal's performance was an emphatic response after his side let slip a 2-0 lead at Wolves in the game prior, a result that means City will win the league if they win all their remaining games this season.

"It feels that we showed what we are made of, but then you have to show it again and again and again," Arteta said. "I cannot be prouder and happier from what I saw out there, especially how we lived the last 72 hours."

Speaking of his team's chances after the win over the Magpies, Guardiola said: "Many things are going to happen. I have a feeling that we are not going to win all our games. Arsenal, I don't know.

"But I have this feeling, because FA Cup, Champions League games, then comes trouble. Many, many games. Injuries will come." This weekend will see Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday afternoon while City are away to Leeds on Saturday evening.