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Former England boss Sam Allardyce has picked Arsenal to beat Manchester City to the Premier League title this season. The 2024-25 edition of the competition kicks off on Friday (August 16) with Manchester United hosting Fulham.
Mikel Arteta's side have finished second in their last two Premier League campaigns. They provided a stern challenge to City last season, but Pep Guardiola's side avoided defeat on the last day to win an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title and sixth in seven years.
While many have tipped the Cityzens to continue their dominance in English football, Allardyce reckons the side's failure to replace striker Julian Alvarez could derail their bid for more Premier League history. The 24-year-old is reportedly close to joining Atletico Madrid and didn't feature in their FA Community Shield win over Manchester United on Saturday (August 10).
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“I just think that it’s four on the trot, never been done before," Allardyce said on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast (as per The Hard Tackle). "I think that they have got so much more pressure on them every time it goes on to make it five now, and the effort it needs to put into that.”
“Of course, if they have sold Alvarez, and they don’t replace him, I just think that’s a bit of a blow for Man City. I also think Arsenal have been growing in the last two, three seasons, and they came very close last year, but, the year before, they should have won it, and they blew.”
He concluded:
“They blew the title. I think this time the squad has got better, more additions to the squad and so will bring Man City close. And that’s why I have just picked Arsenal over Man City.”
The Gunners led for a record 248 days in the 2022-23 Premier League before running out of steam in the last few weeks.
What's next for Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League?
Arsenal open their new Premier League campaign at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday (August 17), having ended the previous season with six straight wins.
The Gunners are looking to end a title drought since their memorable 2003-04 campaign when they became the first - and till date the only - Premier League side to go unbeaten during an entire season.
Meanwhile, Manchester City commence their bid for an unprecedented fifth straight league title at Chelsea on Sunday (August 18), having beaten the Blues in pre-season.
