Arsenal's pursuit of a historic double reaches a critical juncture as they face Burnley on Monday. Victory is essential for the Gunners to secure their first league title in 22 years, putting pressure on FA Cup winners Manchester City, who travel to Bournemouth on Tuesday. Should Arsenal triumph, they could celebrate the title at Crystal Palace on the final day before heading to Budapest for the Champions League final against PSG.
The next fortnight will determine whether this Arsenal side is remembered as 'nearly men' or club legends. Behind the scenes, there is significant speculation about arrivals and departures, with several players linked to the Emirates and some long-serving stars potentially leaving.
Palace's Final-Day Plan
Oliver Glasner has outlined his plans for the final-day showdown against Arsenal. Unless Arsenal beat Burnley and City fail to defeat Bournemouth, the title race will go to the last day. While Arteta's side will have everything to play for, Crystal Palace's focus is on the Europa Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano on May 27. This has led to suggestions, mainly from City fans, that Glasner will field a weakened team.
The Austrian coach has addressed the situation, insisting he won't rotate heavily but confirming key players could be substituted earlier than usual, possibly at half-time. He stated: "Yes, we will maybe make more and earlier substitutions, maybe after 60, 70 minutes latest, maybe one or two at half-time if that's possible, but everything else we won't do."
Rodri Stirs the Pot
Rodri has engaged in mind games ahead of both sides' final two games. City have a reputation for closing out title races, while Arsenal have historically faltered under pressure. After helping City win the FA Cup, Rodri said: "Everything can happen. We need them to drop points, which could happen in the next game or the last one. If I was in their position, it's not easy to finish the task. We have to be there pushing until the end."
Asked if he believes Arsenal will drop points, Rodri replied: "From our experience, we were losing the title against Aston Villa at home in minute 80 in 2022. So everything can happen in football. We know how difficult it is to close things and how difficult it is to beat everyone in this Premier League."
