Who will win the Premier League?

The stage is set.

With ten games remaining of the Premier League season, Arsenal are eight points ahead having played one more game than the chasing Manchester City.

Will Pep Guardiola's seasoned winners catch up to Mikel Arteta's blooming stars?

Let us look at both teams' form, injury situation, upcoming schedule, stats and more in an attempt to answer that question.

Arsenal vs Man City - Form

Arsenal and Man City have been the most consistent performers this season. The Gunners have edged it so far by not slipping against the weaker teams as much, partly thanks to sensational comebacks against Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

The Citizens, however, will still sigh at the thought of their frustrating draw to Nottingham Forest and 1-0 loss against Brentford earlier this season.

But the title chase is far from over. We might be in for a nail-biting run-in.

If we add the average points per game from both team's previous ten fixtures in all competitions (expected points) to the number of remaining games, the league finale will be incredibly close:

If we look at how many points both team gathered from the opponents they now have left to play this season (below), Man City come out on top. They have done better against their remaining opponents, but that would still mean Arsenal win the league by six points, as they are currently eight points ahead.

It is looking good for the Gunners, but it is of course not that simple. Arsenal have some tough away games coming up and Man City have an extra challenge or two on the horizon too.

Arsenal vs Man City - Match Schedule

Arteta's men have the bittersweet luxury of only focusing on the Premier League for the rest of the campaign. Man City, on the other hand, are playing Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals as well as Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Guardiola and co will have to play at least four games more than Arsenal in the next two months before it is all decided at the end of May.

Here are the remaining fixtures in order:

Although Man City play more games than Arsenal in the run-in, the Gunners have a tougher schedule considering they play their strongest opponents on away ground.

The Londoners will travel to Liverpool, Man City and Newcastle. The Citizens play all their toughest games (Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea) at home.

An encouraging note on Arsenal is that they are by far the best away team in the league, having gained seven points more than Man City from 14 away games.

An important date is April 26th when the two title challengers face off at the Etihad Stadium. The winner of that game – and the momentum a victory would bring – could decide it all.

Arsenal fans look away now, because the Gunners have not won against City since their FA Cup semi-final win in 2020. But it gets worse. The last time Arsenal beat the Citizens in the league was all the way back in 2015.

Additionally, Guardiola has a big, experienced squad to rely on as the games come thick and fast.

What will be key for both teams is keeping everyone fit for the next two months.

Arsenal vs Man City - Injuries

The biggest talking point regarding injuries is Erling Haaland, who missed both games for Norway with a groin issue. He was also not at training in Manchester on Thursday. City fans will be pleading for the league's top scorer to be fit as soon as possible.

But Man City's injury list is short and only consists of the Norwegian and Phil Foden.

Arsenal have more injuries to worry about, but their key players seem mostly fit ahead of the final ten league games. Gabriel Jesus is also back after his injury in December.

The Gunners have William Saliba, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah out injured at the moment and Thomas Partey missed Ghana's second game during the international break as a precaution. It is believed that only Elneny has a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

International breaks offer concern for clubs, especially so close to the end of the season. Stakes are high and playing two extra games in less than a week, sometimes on sub-par surfaces compared to Premier League pitches, can cause injuries.

Man City had 18 players involved during the international break, while Arsenal sent 14 to represent their countries.

Although no player was seemingly injured away on international duty, most of Man City and Arsenal's first team player had a taxing week.

Guardiola might be concerned over his defensive unit. Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and Rodri all played every single minute for their countries.

Arteta might be sweating Martin Ødegaard's fitness levels, who played the full 90 in both of Norway's qualifiers. Saka, too, played almost every minute for England despite missing only one game all season for club and country.

"Ten finals to go"

Man City will hope their experience – and Arsenal's inexperience – decides the tie. Guardiola have winners in all positions and if Haaland and his other star players stay fit, it is not beyond them to win every game until the end of the season.

Having to play four extra games at the very least, however, is a sure disadvantage.

Arteta gets to instill the narrative to his squad that they now have "ten finals to go". One competition, one game at a time. Oh, and an eight points lead also helps.

Neither team has an injury crisis. Both teams are in good form. Both teams play similarly difficult opponents in the league, although Arsenal play them away.

The key to winning the league could easily come down to their clash in late April, who stays fit and which team can keep their impressive form going from the first kick after the international break.