HOW THIS SEASON’S three-team battle for the Premier League will pan out was discussed on today’s Football Family, the podcast for subscribers to The 42. 

Liverpool and Manchester City play this Sunday at Anfield, and Arsenal travel to face City on 31 March. 

Shane Keegan, former League of Ireland manager, said the champions could have their title defence in hand by the end of the month.   

“If City win both of those games, which is 100% within their capability, 1 April you’re waking up saying ‘one and dusted, City will walk the league from there’,” he said.  

“Oh it would be over then,” said Gavin Cooney, football journalist within The 42. “If City win both of those games it’s over. 

He added: “They’re at home to Arsenal where they’ve got a really good record. Arsenal have never been playing this well going to City so . . . I actually think both Liverpool and Arsenal need to beat City. 

“Liverpool are a point ahead of City and they think, ‘if we just draw against them, we’ll stay ahead’ . . . I don’t think that’s going to be good enough for them. Liverpool, with all these injuries, it’s a minor miracle how they’ve won all the games that they’ve won since they got beaten by Arsenal. 

“I think they have to beat City this Sunday, and to be honest if they can’t beat City at home, I don’t think you can justifiably claim you deserve to win the league so Liverpool have to go and do it. 

“They’re missing loads of bodies but what they will have is, they’ll have an absolutely feral atmosphere and mad things can happen in that. One thing with Guardiola, it can get under his skin a bit, the atmosphere at Anfield.”  

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