Every match now holds heightened peril but also an opportunity for Arsenal. With seven Premier League games left to go, there is very little margin for error.
By the time they kick off against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon they could be back down in third following Manchester City and Liverpool playing earlier. The timings now add a new layer of intrigue to every passing fixture.
The Gunners played their role in catch-up perfectly last week, responding to an early kick-off win from City with the strongest performance of all three title rivals against Brighton. Liverpool stuttered in their bid to win a second title, only able to draw against Manchester United one day later.
Plenty has happened since though, once more altering the landscape that these three titans operate on. Arsenal and Liverpool played at home in Europe on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, allowing themselves a three-day recovery. The Gunners also have the benefit of being at home this weekend when Villa come to town.
Liverpool travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday, though Jurgen Klopp took the risk — and felt the damage — of rotating his XI heavily for a disastrous 3-0 Europa League loss to Atalanta. The Reds will now have to overcome emotional and physical pain to keep their hopes of a wonderful farewell for the boss alive.
City themselves travelled to Real Madrid on Tuesday and have less time to prepare for the visit of Luton Town on Saturday afternoon. Pep Guardiola's men have possibly the simplest task in gameweek 32 on paper, but that is complicated by their recent form after being in Champions League action.
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