Premier League title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City will definitely meet two more times this season - but they could end up facing off as many as five times due to cup competitions
Arsenal and Manchester City are set to battle it out until the end for the Premier League title - and it's highly likely they will be sick of the sight of one another by the end of the season regardless of who comes out on top.
That's because the meeting between Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola in next month's Carabao Cup final could be the prelude to another FOUR games between the two sides before the end of the campaign, given they are both still standing in the FA Cup and the Champions League.
Arsenal and City will slug it out for the first major trophy of the season on March 22 at Wembley before meeting again in the Premier League on April 18 in a match which is likely to have major title ramifications.
The fifth round of the FA Cup is coined to take place on the weekend of the 7-8 March with the possibility Arsenal and City could draw each other - either at that stage or later in the competition - should they negotiate ties against Wigan Athletic and Salford City respectively.
There is also the prospect they could meet in the Champions League after both sides qualified automatically for the last-16 phase of the competition.
Seeding rules means Arsenal and City will not meet in this phase of the tournament but they could draw each other in the quarter-finals, which are two-legged and scheduled for April 7-8 with the second game taking place one week later.
Arsenal are in pole position in the title race after opening up a six-point buffer on City, who lost their domestic crown to Liverpool last year.
City did, though, keep Arsenal within touching distance with a stunning late fightback against the Reds on Sunday to avoid falling further behind Arteta's men.
Guardiola has already touched on the fact that Arsenal and City could end up doing battle many more times before everything is said and done this season, saying: “It can happen. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the Champions League, and in the Premier League, the fixture is there.
“When the good teams arrive in the latter stages at the end, maybe you can face it. I love it, especially when you play finals.”