Jeremy Doku: Manchester City will be well prepared to give ‘big punch’ to Arsenal

Jeremy Doku: Manchester City will be well prepared to give ‘big punch’ to Arsenal

• Doku scored as Man City claimed a convincing 3-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday evening
• Pep Guardiola’s side six points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal
• City face Arsenal in a clash of the titans at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday

Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku has insisted he believes his side can win the Premier League title after a 3-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Pep Guardiola‘s side cut the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal to six points with a commanding victory at Stamford Bridge, with Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku all on the scoresheet in west London on Sunday evening as City took full advantage of Arsenal’s shock 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.

City now face Arsenal in a potentially title-defining fixture at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday – one of the most anticipated Premier League showdowns in recent memory.

Marc Guehi sends title warning to Arsenal as Manchester City sweep Chelsea apart

Doku: I believe the title race is on

In conversation with Sky Sports after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge, Doku was emphatic in his belief that the title race is very much alive ahead of next weekend’s pivotal clash.

“Of course I watched the Arsenal game (2-1 defeat to Bourmemouth),” he said. “When I saw them lose, I really saw that the Premier League is really unpredictable. But obviously we were also a lot focussed on our own game.

“I would be crazy if I wouldn’t believe (that Manchester City can win the Premier League title). I believe, obviously, that the race is on. We have a big game now, we’re going to recover well, and we’ll look forward to it. Let’s go! Trust me, we will be well prepared.”

Victory over Arsenal will be a ‘big punch’ to them, says Doku

The Belgian winger, who scored City’s third on Sunday after winning possession from Moises Caicedo close to the Chelsea box, made no attempt to downplay the magnitude of what next weekend’s home clash with Arsenal represents.

“If you win this game, it’s a big punch towards them (Arsenal),” the 23-year-old winger added. “If you lose this game, it’s in their hands. If we win, it’s in our hands, and I prefer to have it in our hands.”

City’s victory at Stamford Bridge means they have now beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea in successive outings – a run of form that assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders had called for following City’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool. The Etihad Stadium roars next Sunday will go a long way to deciding where the title ends up.