Premier League Title Race: Alan Smith Names His Two Key Contenders

Former Arsenal striking legend Alan Smith has offered his expert insight on the fiercely contested 2025/2026 Premier League title race, identifying the two clubs he believes are the sole genuine competitors for the coveted trophy.

Smith, a Premier League Golden Boot winner with the Gunners, recently shared his updated perspective, emphasizing that despite strong starts or improvements from other teams, the destination of the Premier League crown will ultimately be decided between just two heavyweights.

While Smith's recent commentary mentioned a three-horse race earlier in the season involving Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City, subsequent results and team form appear to have narrowed his view.

According to the Sky Sports co-commentator, the battle for the top spot will boil down to a direct confrontation between:

1. Arsenal (His former club)

2. Liverpool (The defending champions and current rivals to the Gunners)

This analysis effectively rules out Manchester City from mounting a serious challenge this season, despite their formidable history and previous inclusion in Smith's earlier predictions. 

Smith's assessment came in the wake of Liverpool's significant defeat at the hands of Manchester City, which he felt would have been a "hard" blow to the Reds. However, the overall table and recent momentum suggest he sees the two front-runners as having the necessary consistency and quality to maintain their push until the season's conclusion.

Smith's latest analysis simplifies a complex league season, creating a narrative of a direct head-to-head clash for the trophy. His focus on Arsenal and Liverpool reinforces the widespread belief that these two clubs possess the best mix of attacking prowess and squad depth needed to sustain a winning challenge across the full campaign.