Man City have been handed an early chance to test Arsenal's title race bottle

Manchester City are chasing Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and that is a familiar position for both teams.

If Arsenal nerves weren't jangling after their 2-2 draw at Sunderland before the international break, the fear of losing Gabriel for any length of time will have them a little jittery this week.

The centre-back limped out of Brazil's friendly win against Senegal at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium last week and stayed behind in London for assessment on a groin injury. An update on his fitness is expected later this week ahead of the resumption of the Premier League campaign.

It would be a seismic blow to Mikel Arteta's side if they were without the 27-year-old for any length of time. Not only is he one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, he is a devastating attacking weapon at set-pieces for the Gunners, and they rely heavily on that approach to break teams down.

Arsenal are already beset by injuries in more attacking areas, with Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres all out, although some could return this weekend. Adding another player to that injury list would be a blow.

It feels like an early test of Arsenal's mettle this season. They have enjoyed an excellent recent run of form and had been impenetrable at the back until conceding twice at the Stadium of Light.

That allowed Manchester City to close the gap to four points and if Pep Guardiola's side can navigate their own tricky fixture at Newcastle on Saturday evening, that could be down to one by the time Arsenal face Tottenham in the North London derby.

Arsenal have certainly taken advantage of a good run of games of late, but they now face two tough derby games in back-to-back weekends, with a trip to Chelsea on Sunday, November 30, and a home fixture with Bayern Munich in between.

That makes it a big week for the early-season pacesetters and City can try and increase the pressure by winning against Newcastle on Saturday and then Leeds at the Etihad the following weekend. They play first on both weekends, so they will have the chance to cut the gap and put a little more pressure on Arsenal.

Every chance to test out Arsenal's resolve feels like it's worth taking at the moment. They remain odds-on favourites for the title and the prevailing view seems to be that they are best placed to end a 21-year wait for a Premier League crown.

City could put together one of their long winning runs to take control, but it doesn't feel like this team are there yet, and it might be more likely that Arsenal lose the title than the Blues storm off into the distance. They have fallen away from top spot twice when Guardiola's team have been chasing them and the question marks remain about their ability to go the distance.

So even if it's only November, City should take every opportunity they get to crank up the pressure and test them out in that department.

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