Manchester United’s former player, Rio Ferdinand has changed his prediction on who will win the Premier League title this season.
The competition is getting more intense with Arsenal, Manchester City, and Aston Villa all fighting for the top spot.
Arsenal, who have not won the Premier League since 2004, have been the main contenders for most of the season after starting off very strongly.
The Gunners have come in second place in each of the past three years, but they have one of the strongest teams in the league thanks to a great summer of player signings.
Even though they had many injuries, Mikel Arteta’s team won hard against Brighton and defeated Aston Villa 4-1 on Tuesday, which means they will start the New Year at the top of the league table.
Pep Guardiola’s team had a tough season and did not defend their title last year, but they look more energized now after spending a lot of money in January and during the summer.
Ferdinand thinks that because City had won eight games straight in every competition, the team might be gaining positive momentum, which could be helping them more than Arsenal, who he thought would win the title at the beginning of the season.
Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel that he predicted Arsenal would finish first before any game started, but if he were betting right now, he would choose City.
“I want Arsenal to win the title, but with how things are going right now, Manchester City might just end up winning it,” he said.
Heading into the New Year, Arsenal have a tough month ahead in the league, with games against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United in January.
Ferdinand thinks the Gunners’ chance to win the title will depend on how they play and how well they can get good results against the teams that are lower in the league.
He said, “I think Arsenal had a good lead, but now some teams have caught up again.”
“I think you have to smell blood. You’ve been near enough in the last few seasons and just missed out, so I think you need to sense the opportunity early and take it head-on.”