Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji has boldly declared that his team will “win the league again” this season.
Speaking in the aftermath of the 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the weekend, Akanji said that the Gunners are an excellent defensive unit but he feels the Cityzens will end up beating them to top spot:
“I don’t think there are many better than them at it. But in the end, we always won the title and I don’t think it’s going to be different this year. Like I said it’s still early in the season, I think again, we’re going to win the league again, and we don’t focus too much on Arsenal.”
“Obviously, the focus today was on them because we played against them, but now we don’t play them for half a year, so still focusing ourselves on our games, and then we will see.”
Akanji was speaking before the news of Rodri’s injury
It should be noted that, when the defender made his title prediction, he wasn’t aware that one of City’s key players could be sidelined for the rest of the season.
Multiple reports on Monday night claimed that Rodri is expected to be out for several months with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. That is a massive blow for Pep Guardiola’s side who have become very reliant on the midfielder.
What are the bookies saying about City’s title chances?
The draw against Arsenal and Rodri’s injury have only affected the bookmakers’ odds ever so slightly. Heading into the weekend, the reigning champions were evens to retain their title.
Now, most betting companies have them between 11/10 and 11/8. They still remain favourites for first place, though, with their nearest rivals the Gunners being priced at around 6/4 to 7/4.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
