ARSENAL have been tipped to still win the Premier League title by a man who knows a thing or two about leading the club to glory.

There will be an anxious atmosphere swirling around Ashburton Grove this Saturday when the Gunners entertain Newcastle in a must-win clash at the Emirates.

And one man who remains calmer than most is former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who says he “deeply believes” that the north Londoners will be champions come May.

The Frenchman is the last man to have guided the club to a Premier League crown, winning three titles including the now immortalised 2003/04 season when the Gunners went the entire campaign undefeated.

Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday cemented the momentum of the title race. But Wenger insists he saw enough in the final third at the Etihad – where Mikel Arteta named an attack-minded line-up that included Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz – to remain confident in his old club.

“I believe that Arsenal will win the league,” said Wenger, speaking at an annual dinner and fundraiser for the Twinning Project, a charity founded by former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein that pairs prisons with professional football clubs to reduce re-offending. “I deeply believe. It looks, to me, like common sense.

“I like Eze, Odegaard, Havertz and Madueke attacking [intent at the Etihad]. Manchester City will not make the perfect run-in.”

While many Gooners are bemoaning being dragged into a title race that should long have been won, there are those who are now looking forward to “the best part of the season”.

Arsenal captain Odegaard made his return from injury against City and was as frustrated as anyone that the opportunities his side created didn’t lead to a more positive result.

Urging his teammates to refocus for the final five league games of the campaign, the midfielder said: “[The title race] is always going to be going all the way to the end, so we have to keep going, keep working hard, and stick together.

“Just look forward to the next game now and bounce back.

“We created a few big, big chances [against City], so of course there are some positives to take – frustrating at the moment, but we’ll analyse it and move on to the next game.

“It’s all to play for, and it’s the best part of the season. We’ll look forward to the next game now and go from there.”