Last Updated: April 16, 2026 | 06:19 BST
Arsenal to face Man City with just one win in five
Arsenal held Sporting CP to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday night, which booked their spot in the Champions League semi-finals thanks to winning the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon. Mikel Arteta’s men will play against Atletico Madrid, who lost 2-1 to Barcelona on the night on Wednesday, but managed to progress as 3-2 aggregate winners. Win that game against Atletico, and Arsenal will reach the Champions League final for just the second time in their history and play either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich.
However, the current issue at Arsenal is that Arteta has seen a real nosedive in form. The Gunners have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions, which was that aforementioned victory over Sporting on 7 April. And that’s hardly the form the Premier League leaders want when they’re heading into a title showdown against challengers Manchester City on Sunday.
Defeat against Pep Guardiola and his men would put Man City three points behind Arsenal, with a game in hand. It doesn’t get much easier for the Gunners either, knowing that their next five fixtures will see them navigate two legs of a Champions League semi-final versus Atletico Madrid, and testing home games against Newcastle and Fulham.
Champions League or Premier League?
Alongside Arsenal’s bid to win their first Premier League title since the 2003-04 Invincibles, Arteta and his squad have reached the Champions League semi-finals for the second season in a row after going the previous six seasons without playing in Europe’s top competition. With the London club’s league form stuttering, many will be questioning whether it might be a case of Arteta prioritising one competition over the other. On paper, that semi-final against Atletico is winnable but a final against either Bayern Munich, who beat Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, or PSG in the final is going to be incredibly tough. Winning the Premier League seems the easier option right now – but it could be out of their hands if they lose to Man City this weekend.
Road to Budapest ’26
- Morten Hjulmand passes Man United trial with flying colours as impressive stats vs Arsenal emerge
- Chris Sutton spot on about Arsenal’s performance vs Sporting CP as full stats emerge
- Champions League: Supercomputer predicts winner after Arsenal beat Sporting CP
- ‘This is an act of simulation’ – Ex-refs chief re-analyses Arsenal vs Sporting CP star controversy
- Arsenal player ratings vs Sporting CP – Martin Zubimendi impresses, Viktor Gyokeres poor
- Keith Wyness details ‘big subplot behind the scenes’ for Man City vs Arsenal showdown
- Man City vs Arsenal: Richard Keys hits out at Howard Webb over Anthony Taylor appointment
- Bukayo Saka injury could be blessing in disguise as Arsenal face must-win Man City clash
- Supercomputer updates Premier League title prediction after Arsenal and Man City’s weekend results
- Viktor Gyokeres’ 1.03 and 50% stats vs AFC Bournemouth speak volumes for Arsenal’s troubles
- Arsenal: Supercomputer updates Premier League title prediction after surprise defeat vs Bournemouth
- Keith Hackett gives clear verdict on whether Arsenal should have been awarded penalty vs AFC Bournemouth
- Arsenal vs AFC Bournemouth ref watch: Three decisions Michael Oliver got wrong, including Viktor Gyokeres incident
- Arsenal player ratings vs AFC Bournemouth – Gabriel Martinelli dreadful, Ben White impresses
- Arsenal vs Bournemouth: Yannick Bolasie fires ‘safety first’ dig as Gunners slip up
- Arsenal start to feel ‘unique pressure’ that Leicester didn’t even have in their title win
- Arsenal: Jamie O’Hara must be having a laugh as he shares David Raya best in the world verdict
- Viktor Gyokeres sends ‘special’ message after Sporting CP vs Arsenal, Declan Rice and William Saliba react
