Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has backed Arsenal to win the Premier League this season, with Manchester City finishing as their closest challengers.
Murphy made his predictions ahead of this weekend’s opening fixtures, placing Liverpool third and Manchester United fourth.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said Arsenal’s familiarity with Mikel Arteta’s methods gives them an advantage, while City’s attacking quality makes them a major threat.
“Mikel Arteta didn’t need to spend half the pre-season drilling them [Arsenal players] with his methods like a new manager has to.
“I look at the firepower Man City have got and, whoever the manager is and whoever they are playing against, they are still going to be able to score a lot of goals and win a lot of games.
“I would still have them as being Arsenal’s nearest rivals,” he said.
