Paul Scholes leaves Gary Neville gobsmacked with Man City vs Arsenal prediction

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Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are chasing their first Premier League title in 22 years and both Paul Scholes and Gary Neville have had their say on Sunday's game against Man City

Paul Scholes has left Gary Neville taken aback after forecasting a straightforward Manchester City victory over Arsenal on Sunday. Premier League leaders Arsenal head into this weekend's pivotal clash at the Etihad Stadium with a six-point advantage over second-placed City.

Yet it is Pep Guardiola's outfit who carry the greater momentum, having claimed three consecutive victories across all competitions – amongst them a 2-0 win over the Gunners in the Carabao Cup final. City also have a game in hand over Mikel Arteta's side, who have managed just one win in their last five outings.

The Gunners suffered a damaging 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth last weekend, handing further impetus to their title rivals. Genuine concern is now mounting in north London that Arteta's men could squander their lead in the title race as they pursue a first league championship in 22 years and a major trophy in six.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice delivered a defiant response following Wednesday evening's 0-0 draw against Sporting, which secured their passage to the Champions League semi-finals. Nevertheless, many consider City to be favourites to take all three points in Manchester and seize control of the title race.

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Manchester United legends Neville and Scholes have both shared their views on Sunday's encounter during an appearance on The Overlap's Stick to Football podcast.

Neville initially forecast a score draw this Sunday, stating: "I think it's going to be a draw on Sunday and I think it'll be 1-1."

Paul Scholes took a different view, tipping City to overcome the Gunners by two or three goals. The former midfielder remarked: "I think City will win easily.

"Just comfortable. Unless they get someone sent off or something stupid. I think they'll win comfortably. Two or three [nil]."

A visibly taken aback Neville was left speechless, managing only: "Wow... wow!"

Arteta is keen for his side to draw inspiration from their Champions League semi-final qualification ahead of the City fixture. "One hundred per cent," the Spaniard responded when asked whether the result could act as a catalyst for their clash with Guardiola's side.

"This is a massive push to win the semifinal of the Champions League. It's extremely tough and we know what we've done. We deserve it, fully deserve it as well, and we're going to enjoy it because we deserve it.

"My message [to the players] was gratitude to them. I know the effort and the commitment that they have put in.

"There's a lot of work behind it. We've done something that has never been done in the history of our club in 140 years, so that tells you the difficulty of that, and we had to do it in a very special way, missing a lot of important players."