A former Arsenal star has predicted how Manchester United and Manchester City will end their league campaigns this season – with one club set for disappointment

Nigel Winterburn has backed his former club Arsenal to pip Manchester City to the Premier League title this season, before saying Manchester United will secure third place.

City host rivals Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a fixture that could prove decisive in determining this season’s title race. Pep Guardiola’s men are in brilliant form, having beaten the Gunners 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup and Chelsea 3-0 in the Premier League in recent weeks.

That has increased the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side, who have themselves suffered a concerning drop in form. Arsenal’s most recent loss to Bournemouth means another defeat to City this weekend would trim the gap at the top to just three points.

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With City also having a game in hand, a repeat of the 2-0 Carabao Cup final fixture would hand the initiative back to them heading into the final fixtures, despite Arsenal having topped the table for almost the entire campaign. However, concerned Gunners legend Winterburn hopes that the north Londoners can sidestep a damaging blow to their strongest title challenge since 2004.

The former Gunners left-back said: “I’ve been so strong on us winning the league throughout this season, I am not going to change my mind now.

“I’m going to hope that we can go and put on a brilliant display at City, which will then push us to the title. So I think we’ll be first.”

Winterburn went on to predict the rest of the top five, given that the Premier League will have at least five teams in the Champions League next season after securing a European Performance Sport for the second straight year.

The Premier League has been way out in front in the EPS table for most of the season, with all nine English clubs reaching the last 16 in Europe. Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Sporting CP earlier this month confirmed the fifth English Champions League spot.

Winterburn stated that Michael Carrick’s United will keep hold of third place despite winning just one of their last four matches. He said: “Man City will be second, I think it’s going to be as it is, maybe Man United third, Aston Villa and then Liverpool. I don’t know whether I see any significant changes along the way.

“There might be someone, potentially Chelsea, that could come and disrupt that a little bit, but will any of the other teams? I’m not sure they will. Everybody seems to be putting themselves in a good position and then trying to throw it away.

“But I think this season’s been like that, hasn’t it? There’s been a lot of dropped points from teams that you probably wouldn’t expect to drop points.”

City currently sit on 64 points, while interim boss Carrick has steered cross-city rivals United into third spot on 55 points. Matching them on points but behind on goal difference in fourth are Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

Liverpool currently occupy fifth place with 52 points, though Chelsea, Brentford and Everton are breathing down their necks with 48, 47 and 47 points, respectively. As Arsenal look to claim a crucial first victory over City this season on Sunday, the earlier kick-off will see Everton attempt to cause an upset in the Merseyside Derby.

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