ARSENAL returned to the summit of the Premier League at the weekend after they breezed past Brighton.
The Gunners 3-0 away victory put them top of the pile, but one former Premier League champion thinks two games could derail their chances of staying there come May.
Five-time Premier League winner Peter Schmeichel has named the two fixtures that represent a new challenge for Mikel Arteta’s high flying Arsenal side.
Although most people would point out tricky away trips to Spurs and Manchester United as likely stumbling blocks, Schmeichel thinks it’s the Champions League that could trip Arsenal up.
The former Red Devil has pointed towards their two quarter-final legs with Bayern Munich as the real test for Arteta and Co to prove they can mix it with the big boys at the top of the table.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, he said: “Seven games seems not very much for people who haven’t been in a title race before, it feels like you’re already there.
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“But seven games – 21 points – is a long way to go. You have to really focus and concentrate
“Everyone is pointing to Arsenal now but they have a few challenges coming up, the first one is Bayern Munich.
“It’s one thing playing in the Premier League and getting on a roll but you need to play another way in the Champions League.
“So these Bayern games will play a very big part in the title race. They’re not too experienced with this, either. They needed penalties to beat Porto remember.
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“You have to keep the momentum in a title race and I look at those Bayern games, if they get through them I think they will win the Premier League.”
Arsenal are yet to lose a league game in 2024 winning every Prem clash they have played in bar their 0-0 draw with Manchester City.
But they have failed to do the same in Europe with the north Londoners falling to a 1-0 defeat in Portugal in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie with Porto.
Arsenal did manage to level it up with a 1-0 win on home soil in the second leg, but only advanced to the quarter-finals thanks to David Raya’s penalty heroics.
Two matches against Bayern Munich represent a new task for Arteta’s side who will have to balance the fixtures with their hectic Premier League schedule.
Arsenal welcome the Bavarians to the Emirates Stadium tonight in the first leg of the quarter-final before heading to Germany next week in the hopes of advancing to the semi-final.
Should the Gunners make it past Thomas Tuchel’s side then they will have to face the winner of Real Madrid and Manchester City in the next round – another gargantuan task.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
