The 4-1 defeat on Wednesday at Manchester City’s ground has triggered the alarm: the leader Arsenal has just two points ahead of the ‘Citizens’, who have also played two games less, so winning on the 34th day seems an obligation.
Arsenal will receive Chelsea on Tuesday, a team lost in the middle of the table and that chains defeat after defeat. It will be a derby full of urgency and with two teams that are not going through their best moment at all.
The ‘Gunners’ have gone four games without winning (three draws, one defeat) and their wide advantage has been reduced to the point that they no longer depend on themselves to be champion and be able to reconquer a title that they have not achieved since 2004.
Manchester City could even symbolically become the leader tomorrow if they beat Fulham (10th), two days before the London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea.
At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal will be favorites in any case against a Chelsea that is barely eleventh in the standings and that has five straight defeats, between the Premier League and the Champions League, where it has been knocked out in the quarterfinals by Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Barcelona, after falling on Wednesday against Rayo Vallecano, will try to react today against Betis in the 32nd league game to avoid more scares in a League that is practically tied up.
The azulgrana team lost 2-1 in Vallecas on Wednesday, squandering Real Madrid’s stumble on Tuesday, which also fell 4-2 in Girona.
The meringues remain 11 points behind the Catalans with seven games to go and 21 points to play.
Barcelona, with a single victory in their last four games, will not have it easy to add the three points against a Betis that continues to aspire to the Champions League places.
The Andalusian team will appear at the Camp Nou wanting to reverse their dynamics after two consecutive games without winning, drawing on Tuesday with Real Sociedad, their direct rival for the Champions League positions.
Behind the azulgranas, Real Madrid, helped by Barça’s setback in Vallecas, will try to continue improving their few options to catch up with their great rival with a victory against Almería.
The white team will try to improve in defense after the poor image given against Girona.
A new setback for the white team today could leave their second place in the standings in the hands of Atlético de Madrid, if the rojiblancos win on Sunday in Valladolid.
Atlético, just turned 120, wants to continue clinching its Champions League position, while not giving up the runner-up, which is only two points away.
On the other hand, in the streets of Naples, the flags and banners with messages ‘Champions of Italy’ have been decorating the city for weeks and for the first time the team has the option of materializing the ‘Scudetto’ on the 32nd day of the Italian championship. .
If Napoli prevails in the Campania derby against Salernitana tomorrow, Lazio (2nd) does not do the same at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium against Inter (6th), the team coached by Luciano Spalletti will be mathematically champion with six days to go the conclusion./ENS-AFP