Easter Sunday marks the starting gun for the final 10-game sprint to the finish line in what’s been an enthralling Premier League title race.
Arsenal and Liverpool are currently level on points at the top, with the Gunners leading the way on goal difference, while Manchester City lurk just a single point behind.
Speaking on The Monday Night Club, Andros Townsend is backing Pep Guardiola’s side to make it a fourth successive title triumph due to their proven ability to string together double-digit sequences of victories.
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The former Everton winger said: “I feel like Man City are the only team in world football who can go and win their remaining 10 games and go on and win the league. I have that nagging feeling Man City will just go on and turn it on.
“[Kevin] De Bruyne is coming back into form, they have players coming back at the right time and they have been there and done it.”
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Some Liverpool fans may be rolling their eyes at an ex-Everton player tipping one of our rivals to pip us in the Premier League title race, but we still have every reason to be confident of going the distance this year.
The Reds have already battled through a scarcely believable injury crisis to remain level on points at the top, along with showing an outstanding mental fortitude to rescue so many wins from losing positions. There’s also the added motivation of giving Jurgen Klopp a second league triumph before he departs in the summer.
Sunday marks a glorious opportunity for us to steal a march on the other two contenders, who face each other at the Etihad Stadium a few hours after we host Brighton at Anfield, thus providing the opportunity to move ahead at the top before City and Arsenal do battle in Manchester.
Recent history very much favours Guardiola’s side, as Townsend referenced, but Liverpool could be an even stronger beast from April onwards with the likes of Mo Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai already back from injury, and others such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate and Alisson Becker set to return soon.
It’s going to be a nerve-racking seven weeks between Easter Sunday and 19 May, but after last season’s shocking drop-off, it’s great to have the Reds back in the title conversation this year as the run-in approaches.