England great Gary Lineker has backed Arsenal to notch their first Premier League title in 22 years despite recently crashing to a 2-1 league loss at Manchester City.

Earlier this Sunday (April 19), the Gunners tasted their fourth defeat in six matches across all competitions at Etihad Stadium. Rayan Cherki opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Kai Havertz’s equaliser two minutes later. Erling Haaland’s goal in the 65th minute ultimately prove to be the difference between the two footballing giants.

After losing to Pep Guardiola’s side, Arsenal are still atop the Premier League table with 70 points from 33 matches. On the other hand, Manchester City are in second place with 67 points from 32 games, and could dethrone the Gunners after beating Burnley on Wednesday (April 22).

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker provided his two cents on Mikel Arteta’s side and their ongoing quest to end their Premier League title drought. The ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker said (h/t Mirror):

“It’s not impossible that it’ll be down to goal difference and it is very, very close. It’s great for the neutrals because you want it to go as close as you can right at the death, so in that sense it was good. I feel a little bit for Arsenal, they’re going through it a little bit but they’re still in the semi-final of the Champions League, they’ve got plenty to play for, they can still win the Premier League title.”

The 1986 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner added:

“A lot of people will go, ‘Arsenal have choked’, it could still be a memorable season for them, I’m not going to jump on that bandwagon that they’re going to throw it away, it’s too soon to say that. They did show something, even though it didn’t go their way, it could have been different.”

Arteta’s club will face Newcastle United in the league on Saturday before taking on Atletico Madrid in a UEFA Champions League tie on April 29.

Arsenal star targeted by European giants

According to French outlet L’Equipe, Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli’s entourage has met with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) sporting director Luis Campos of late. He is believed to be a summer target for the Parisians.

Martinelli, 24, could be sold by the north London outfit this summer as his contract will expire in June 2027. He has also struggled to start Premier League games this season, scoring one goal in just 10 starts so far.

Overall, the Brazilian attacker has bagged 62 goals and provided 35 assists in 272 overall appearances for the Emirates Stadium outfit so far.