Paul Scholes makes confident title prediction ahead of Man City vs Arsenal showdown

Paul Scholes fears there is no way back for Arsenal in the Premier League title race and is confident Manchester City will have their measure in Sunday’s top of the table clash.

The Gunners saw their nine-point lead reduced last weekend when their home defeat against Bournemouth was ruthlessly capitalised on by Pep Guardiola’s side who are hitting form at just the right point in the season.

A devastating second-half display at Stamford Bridge, decorated by quickfire goals from Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku helped put Chelsea to the sword and piled the pressure on Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side appear to be wilting in the face of mounting scrutiny and their record against the Premier League’s elite is hardly cause for optimism as they prepare to travel to the Etihad, a venue at which they haven’t won since 2015.

Faltering Arsenal must first overcome Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League tomorrow night before attention will turn to a potentially decisive clash with City, but Scholes fears the result is already something of a foregone conclusion.

‘I just think Arsenal have gone, me,’ the former Manchester United midfielder told  The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast

‘I just think all the momentum is with City. At some point, you have to beat your rivals. I’ve not seen them do it, they don’t win big games.’

Scholes’ former teammate and podcast co-presenter Nicky Butt agreed the writing appears to be on the wall for a group of players who are displaying the mental fragility that has reared its head in the past.

‘Until you’ve won it, or got over that hurdle, it is an absolute nightmare,’ he said.

‘You’re just thinking that you’re going to let them down again, and you can see that now with Arsenal and City, especially with Pep in charge, the amount of times he’s won the title.’

A third former United midfield general and multiple title winner Roy Keane, meanwhile, argued it us up to the senior players in the Arsenal dressing room, including Declan Rice, to get a grip of the current situation and display some much-needed leadership.

He said: ‘Rice has to show more leadership skills. That was a nervous performance. It’s okay being nervous, it’s how you deal with it.

‘When a team is pressing you – and Bournemouth really were – when it goes back to the goalkeeper and you’re showing for it, don’t; you’ve got a big target man.

‘Don’t complicate it, especially if you’re nervous. I’d rather be nervous up the field than giving the ball away cheaply in our own half.

‘You have to smell these things. It’s not like Arsenal learned from the first half, they were doing it in the second half too.

‘People like Rice, talking about leadership skills, they’ve got to get a grip of people.

‘People are looking at Arteta, the fans are nervous, no – this is on the players.

‘The fans aren’t going to do it for you, the manager can only do so much, he’s got a great squad together in a brilliant position.

‘Arsenal have got to get a grip – or it will slip by.’