Arsenal stand just three wins away from their first Premier League title since 2004—a historic moment that has fans holding their breath. But can Mikel Arteta's squad avoid a costly slip-up against third-bottom West Ham on Sunday?
"This is the kind of game where Arsenal fans will be looking at it and thinking if they can overcome this hurdle, then the title will be theirs," says BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton.
Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, pitting his picks against AI, BBC Sport readers, and a rotating cast of special guests. For week 36, the former Norwich City striker steps into the ring—figuratively speaking—with boxing world champion Fabio Wardley, a die-hard Ipswich Town fan.
Wardley defends his WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois in Manchester this Saturday, with the fight streaming live on DAZN and airing on BBC Radio 5 Live. While we couldn't arrange an actual bout between Sutton and Wardley, their score predictions will have to settle the score—along with some friendly trash talk sparked by Ipswich's promotion to the Premier League, while rivals Norwich finished ninth in the Championship.
"Chris would probably call himself a Norwich legend," Wardley says with a grin. "That lot like to do that. We've already done the double over them in the Championship this season, so if I can add one more notch by beating him too, I'll take that."
Sutton fires back: "Fabio looks a bit chubby to me. But I wish him the best in his fight, and I'm genuinely pleased his team has gone up. It's quite close for me to get to Ipswich if I have to work there, and I hope they enjoy their season in the Premier League."
Wardley's fight preparations meant he couldn't join the party at Portman Road on Saturday or attend Monday's promotion parade through the town, but he still celebrated Ipswich's crucial 3-0 final-day win over QPR from a distance.
"It's really exciting for us to be back up there, and I couldn't be more proud of the team," Wardley tells BBC Sport. "It was the first time in a long time I didn't make it to the last game of the season, but this is a special moment for all of us."