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Sam Hill

Former Tottenham star tips Arsenal to 'bottle' Premier League title race amid run-in prediction

Former Tottenham star Jamie O'Hara is adamant that Arsenal will 'bottle' winning the Premier League title before the end of the season. The Gunners currently sit five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table and have been boosted by the return of Gabriel Jesus to Mikel Arteta's squad.

The Brazilian was ruled out for the past three months after suffering a knee injury whilst on Brazil duty during the World Cup in Qatar. Arsenal have Europa League action to deal with once again as Arteta prepares his players for the round of 16 second-leg clash against Sporting CP on Thursday.

After the international break, the Gunners will have 10 games that will define their season - including huge fixtures against Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea. The north Londoners made it five wins in a row in the Premier League following their 3-0 win against Fulham on Sunday and look strong heading into a crucial period of fixtures.

READ MORE: Former Arsenal manager delivers Premier League title verdict after crucial win vs Fulham

Despite that, O'Hara has highlighted a run of matches in which Arsenal could lose as many as three games, which may see the title slip away from them as City keep the pressure on. The former Spurs midfielder told talkSPORT: "I think Man City will still win.

"We've had a tweet come in and this is exactly what I think: 'City stay in touch with Arsenal until the last five games of the season, the Gunners will bottle it' and I think the same thing. You stay in touching distance with Arsenal, five points, three points, they've got to play each other.

"Man City need to beat Arsenal, that's in six games' time. After that you've got five games left. If Man City beat Arsenal, they're in touching distance with five games to go, who's going to have the experience, who's going to have the bottle? Man City have been there all before.

"There's a lot of football still to play. They’ve still got to play Man City, and then after they play Man City, they’ve got to play Chelsea, who have pulled it together, then they’ve got to play Newcastle away.

“Alright, three huge games, where in my opinion, Arsenal will bottle the title. That week there, 29th April to 6th May, that is when Arsenal are going to lose the league."

City boss Pep Guardiola is not quite as confident as O'Hara, however, and has instead tipped the Gunners as favourites to finally end their 19-year wait to win the Premier League. “Still Arsenal are the favourites because they are in front," Guardiola said recently.

"They made an incredible first leg [of the season], they dropped a little bit but now they’re coming back. They have had many years not winning the Premier League and it gives you a little extra to win games in 93, 98 minutes.

"That is something they have that we don’t have because we won back-to-back two times. That’s why when people say about your opinion on the team and the season it’s after two times back-to-back and 50 points for our opponents in the first half, still we are there.

“Normally in this country when you win something a lot and you don’t start well or someone is a bit better, you drop it. You are not consistent.

"Still we are there. This is the best trophy and compliment that we can have."

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