Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side will have to watch on as the rest of the Premier League play their fixtures on Saturday before the north London outfit face Fulham on Sunday. One of the sides that will feature beforehand will be Manchester City, meaning the Gunners will know the state of the title picture when they lineup at Craven Cottage.
The gap could be closed to two points by then, though if it isn't, there may be an opportunity to extend the lead by more than the current five points. For that to happen, the side will be reliant on London rivals Crystal Palace earning a result against Pep Guardiola at Selhurst Park.
Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira is the current Eagles boss and has already outlined some lessons learned before they take on City. He said in his pre-match press conference: "It was a learning process for us against them in the first game [a 4-2 loss in Manchester], but we have to be brave, we have to play the best we can and give them problems, and I strongly believe that we can give them problems.”
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Vieira isn't the only one with Arsenal ties that may have an extra incentive to win the game, beyond earning all three points from the tie. That's because within the ranks of the side, there's also Albert Sambi Lokonga, a midfielder who is currently on loan from the Gunners for the rest of the season.
The Belgian had struggled to break into the first-team and after the signing of Jorginho from Chelsea, the decision was made to let him leave for the final six months to gain more experience and much-needed game time. The 23-year-old has started the last three games and could be a deciding factor in the clash with City.
It remains to be seen if it will play out as the Gunners may hope, but Lokonga could well be the club's own secret weapon against their title rivals.
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