Arsenal and Man City could be forced into Premier League PLAY-OFF to decide title

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Arsenal and Manchester City are locked in battle for the Premier League title as the season races to a conclusion. Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola's sides will meet in a huge encounter at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.

The Gunners stumbled last Saturday, losing 2-1 to Bournemouth at home . The Citizens rallied on Sunday to demolish Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge , meaning City are now six points behind Arsenal , possessing a game in hand with this Sunday's clash to come. Game on.

There is even the dramatic possibility that both teams could be forced to play a title-deciding play-off should they end the season on equal terms. A few factors would have to fall into place for this to happen, however.

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Most notably, Arsenal and City would have to play out a 1-1 draw at the Eithad on Sunday, the same scoreline the two teams etched out in their last meeting at the Emirates last September.

There are also several other metrics that must be met for a spectacular play-off to take place, with Arsenal having five games remaining after Sunday and City having six. The first tie-breaker used to separate teams with level points at the end of the season is overall goal difference, in which Arsenal are three better off currently.

This is calculated by subtracting total goals conceded from total goals scored throughout the entire campaign. As fate would have it, City are currently the only club in history to have secured a Premier League title via goal difference.

This occurred in 2012, when Sergio Aguero's legendary winner against QPR saw the Sky Blues finish level on points with city rivals Manchester United , but win the league. If City and Arsenal remain tied after goal difference, the second tie-breaker is the total number of goals scored, with just one between them at present in City's slight favour.

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Should the sides still be inseparable after those metrics, then it comes down to their head-to-head record. If either side win on Sunday, they would get the edge. After that comes most away goals scored in their matches against one another.

However, if the upcoming game ends 1-1, and all other statistical tie-breakers remain identical, we then enter rare, pulse-racing territory. This would mean the teams have mirrored each other's performance across every metric provided by the rules.

The final and most extreme contingency for a deadlocked title race is a one-off play-off match at a neutral venue. This could possibly be Wembley, although the Premier League handbook fails to confirm this, most likely because it's never happened before, and City would perhaps feel that offers their London-based rivals an unfair edge.

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This winner-takes-all game would only occur if the Premier League board determines that the teams cannot be separated by any other means. Events could still become even more dramatic, however.

If a play-off match is required and City and Arsenal remain tied after 90 minutes, it would proceed to 30 minutes of extra time. If the deadlock can still not be broken after the additional period, a penalty shoot-out would then decide who the 2025/2026 champions are, and would no doubt in an instant, become the most dramatic and thrilling Premier League moment of all time.

The prospect could be a worrying one for Arsenal. The last winner-takes-all battle between the two was March's Carabao Cup final, where Guardiola's side ran out 2-0 winners, no doubt giving them a mental advantage should any play-off ever come to fruition.

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