Over the previous two seasons, Arsenal have narrowly missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City and the two teams are set to be up there again this time around.
As his contract draws to a close, Pep Guardiola wants to win five straight Premier League titles at the Etihad Stadium.
Mikel Arteta, on the other hand, is aiming to spearhead Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2004 and having fallen desperately short last season by two points, he’ll look to go one step further this time around.
However, Darren Bent believes Arsenal will come out second best to Manchester City again during the 2024-25 campaign.
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker feels it’s impossible to look beyond Manchester City’s squad which has been bolstered by the arrival of Savinho and the return of Ilkay Gundogan, who joined the club on a free transfer after a solitary season at Barcelona.
“Arsenal second. I would sit here and go I would love to see Arsenal top, right, but Manchester City I think they are head and shoulders above everybody,” Bent said on talkSPORT.
“That’s why I put Manchester City as favourites because they have got Haaland, who has come back and looks incredible.
“They have won their first three games, no Rodri. He has not stepped on the pitch yet. You have got Foden there. They have brought in Gundogan, they have brought him back.
“Savinho, I quite like him. He is quite good. De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Doku, Grealish, Ruben Dias, Akanji, Ederson. How are you supposed to beat that?”
Manchester City unsurprisingly have a flawless record at the start of the new season with three wins from as many games.
Erling Haaland has continued in his merry ways with successive hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham United, taking his tally up to seven goals already.
Arsenal began the season with successive 2-0 wins against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa but dropped points last weekend as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion.
Declan Rice’s controversial red card emerged as a big talking point in the game, but the fact of the matter is that the Gunners dropped points so early in the season, which could come back to bite them in the title race.
Bent said last month that Arsenal will challenge Man City for the title, but he now believes their efforts will prove futile.
With the two sides set to lock horns later this month, the outcome of that game could prove to be a massive indication in terms of which way the Premier League title race is heading.
