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Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has backed the Gunners to win the Premier League title this season if they remain consistent and injury-free.
The north London side put up a title challenge last season where they led the table for 248 days but eventually fell short of Manchester City by five points. They sit atop the standings after 17 games this season and are set for another title challenge.
Arsenal are a point above Liverpool and five above fourth-placed Manchester City. They have lost just twice so far, winning 12 and drawing three games.
Sagna shared his thoughts on the Gunners' title challenge this season and heaped praise on their performances so far, saying (via DAZN):
"Arsenal have another chance this season to fight for the title. They have a good chance with Manchester City and Liverpool dropping points so if they manage to be consistent, and stay injury free, they can win the league.
“They’ve showed some consistency and quality offensively and they have great control of every game they play. They are smart and when they have to win ugly, they can do that too. They have the quality, the players, the coach and the structure to allow them to perform, and they are performing at the moment."
Sagna stressed the need for Mikel Arteta's side to remain consistent if they are to win the title. The former Manchester City defender acknowledged that City, despite their recent disappointing form, will bounce back. He said:
“But it’s the consistency, the most consistent team will win the league because other teams will drop points. But at some point in the season, there are so many games in lots of competitions and that can be tiring.
“We also saw Arsenal tire towards the end of the last season, and when it mattered most last year, they struggled to meet their potential and they let Manchester City back into it."
He added:
“I can’t rule City out yet, they had an amazing season last year and surely, they’re going to get back to their best at some point.”
Manchester City have won just one of their last six Premier League games, drawing four times and losing once.
Arsenal draw FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League Ro16
The Gunners returned to the Champions League after six years with a bang as they topped their group with four wins, one draw and one defeat. They finished with 13 points, four above PSV Eindhoven, five above RC Lens, and 11 above Sevilla.
Arsenal will now face FC Porto in the Round of 16, with the first leg being played at the Estadio do Dragao on February 21, 2024. The second leg will take place at the Emirates on March 12.
Porto finished second in their group with four wins and two losses, level on points with leaders Barcelona but behind on head-to-head. They finished three points above Shakhtar Donetsk and nine above Antwerp.
Incidentally, Arsenal beat Porto in the Champions League Round of 16 in 2010 with an aggregate score of 6-2. It was the last time the Gunners got past this stage of the competition.
