Before Sunday’s matchup with Arsenal, former England captain Wayne Rooney thinks Manchester City has a psychological edge in the Premier League title chase.

After playing an extra game, the league leaders, now six points ahead, head to the Etihad Stadium for what Rooney described as a possible “title decider.”

He claimed that City “know how to win the title” and “have a manager who knows how to do it” when speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show.

“Just based on their players and manager, I believe City will have the advantage on that. They’ll be able to maintain a bit more composure than the Arsenal guys,” Rooney remarked.

“They will be concerned because you start wondering, ‘Where’s the next goal, the next win going to come from?’ when you go on a run and lose a few games. Your performance is actually impacted by that pessimistic outlook.

After Arsenal lost to AFC Bournemouth 2-1, City increased their momentum by defeating Chelsea 3-0.

Rooney stated that the winner of Sunday’s match in Manchester will be the front-runner for the championship. Additionally, he advised Mikel Arteta’s team to take a practical stance and said that a draw would be “a good point” for Arsenal.

“Make sure there are no gaps between the lines, try to hit them on the break, and they must be difficult to break down,” he stated.

“Fans must take any action to prevent City from winning, regardless of whether they enjoy that style of play. They must be strong enough to keep City from scoring.

After the relegation slide, Rooney warns Spurs
Additionally, Rooney raised the alarm for West Ham United’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, who finish the weekend in the relegation zone following a loss at Sunderland.

He called Spurs’ performance in the northeast “a bit flat,” stating that Roberto De Zerbi’s debut game as manager did not produce the anticipated new-manager bounce.

“I think you get that when a new manager comes in and you are front-footed and aggressive on the ball, but sometimes you get a bounce,” he remarked. “I believed they were somewhat in the middle.”

Rooney cautioned that in order to improve outcomes, the incoming manager must move fast.

He declared, “If they do go [down], it will be a disaster for them.” “I believe that some of those players are probably thinking that if they lose, they can move on and join another team.

“It will be a nightmare for them if they don’t return to the Premier League within the first year.”

Tottenham will next host Brighton & Hove Albion after failing to win any league games in 2026. Rooney maintains that the drought must stop.

He declared, “They give themselves a chance if they can do that.” “They find it difficult the longer they don’t win.”

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The Premier League season for 2025–2026 starts up again this weekend after the international break. The title race, European spots, and relegation battle are all in the spotlight.

Arsenal is still nine points ahead at the top of the Premier League table. They lost in the cup recently, but they won in Europe on Wednesday and will host Bournemouth on Saturday morning.

Roberto De Zerbi wants to make things better for Tottenham when they play Sunderland, and Liverpool wants to stop a bad run when Fulham comes to Anfield. On Sunday, Manchester City will have to win a big game against Chelsea. On Monday night, Manchester United will host Leeds.

Alan Shearer, a former England striker, has made his predictions for the round of fixtures in the UK newspaper The Metro.

Shearer thinks West Ham will beat Wolves in the fight to stay up after their FA Cup loss.

He said, “The reverse game was the one where I thought West Ham were done.” I thought they were dead and gone. But you have to give them credit for how they came back. Wolves have also gotten better in the last few months. West Ham will have a lot of stress.

“It was a bit of a blow for them to lose in the FA Cup the way they did. But in the long run, it would be good for them to go out if they could stay up. So I’m going to say West Ham wins at home because I think it will be a great atmosphere and everyone will be ready to go.

He also said, “This is huge for Arsenal.” I think they would be in a great position to finish strong if they can win again.

Shearer also thought that Everton would beat Brentford, Brighton would beat Burnley, and Liverpool would bounce back against Fulham. “You can picture how loud it will be if Liverpool loses here… But I’m going to support Liverpool. Arne Slot will definitely change the system again, and Salah will be back. “Home win.”He said that Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa would tie, as would Crystal Palace and Newcastle. People think Sunderland will beat Tottenham.

Shearer picked City to beat Chelsea in the title race. “If Arsenal wins this weekend and Man City doesn’t, I think the race for the Premier League title will be over.”

Premier League Matchday 32 games and start times on Friday, April 10

West Ham United plays Wolverhampton Wanderers at 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 11 Arsenal vs. Bournemouth at 12:30 p.m. Brentford vs. Everton at 3:00 p.m. Burnley vs. Brighton & Hove Albion at 3:00 p.m. Liverpool vs. Fulham at 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 12

Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle United at 2 p.m. Sunderland vs. Tottenham Hotspur at 2 p.m.
Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa at 2 p.m. Chelsea vs. Manchester City at 4:30 p.m.

Monday, April 13

8:00 PM: Manchester United plays Leeds United

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