- Alan Shearer has backed Man City
- Everton clash comes on Monday
- Arsenal are now six points clear
Alan Shearer has backed Manchester City to beat Everton on Monday after Arsenal increased the pressure in the Premier League title race.
Man City return to Premier League action on Monday night after their FA Cup semi-final win against Southampton.
Pep Guardiola’s side face an away test at the Hill Dickinson Stadium as they face Everton on a weekday night.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have moved six points clear of City following their 3-0 win against Fulham on Saturday. Now, the ball is in Man City’s court, and Alan Shearer expects them to respond with an away win.
Shearer backs Man City to beat Everton
Despite warning about Arsenal’s pressure, Shearer still expects City to do their job on Monday night. Any slip-up will be costly and might push them out of the title race.
Nonetheless, speaking to Metro before the weekend’s fixtures, Shearer claimed that Guardiola’s men can still change things around as they did in the FA Cup semi-final.
“Man City have to win here. You can’t make an error, you can’t make a mistake at this stage of the season,” Shearer said.
He added: “I do think with the way they can sort of change it around, like they changed it in the semi-final of the FA Cup last week, I would be surprised at anything other than Man City getting three points at the Hill Dickinson on Monday.”
Alan Shearer’s Arsenal warning has already come true
Shearer had also predicted a win for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium. Likewise, Arsenal did secure the crucial victory despite looking clumsy a few weeks ago.
Bukayo Saka made his first start in a month after coming back from injury. The Englishman scored one and assisted one before coming off during half-time.
The winger’s return has given the Gunners a massive boost. Mikel Arteta will be hoping for similar performances from the England international, who has seven goals and four assists in 23 starts this season.
“This is a key game for me. You can’t state the importance of it for Arsenal because I do believe if they win this weekend, then I think they’ll take the title,” Shearer claimed.
He added, “I think because of that pressure and the mentality, it will be tough for Man City to come back from.”
Man City can’t lose on Monday
The Premier League race was running end to end, but Arsenal’s latest performance has completely shifted the situation.
Man City don’t just have to win their next two games, but score as much as they can. Guardiola will be counting on the likes of Erling Haaland to gain back control in the race.
The Citizens will have to win by at least a combined four-goal difference in their next two games. Doing so will put them back on equal terms with the Gunners on both points and goal difference.
Above all, they’ll be back on top with more goals scored in the league. The task isn’t as simple as it was for Guardiola, and the race will only get tougher from here on out.
