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Rio Ferdinand says Manchester City's early afternoon clash with Newcastle could 'alter' the minds of Arsenal's players as they face Bournemouth later on in the day amid the title race entering its crucial phase

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has said Arsenal's players will be more than aware of goings on at the Etihad prior to their clash with Bournemouth.

Arsenal lead Manchester City by five points as the season enters its crucial stage, though the reigning champions can cut that to just two, if only for a few hours, if they beat Newcastle.

Pointing to his own experiences of title races, Ferdinand said players do not block out of the outside noise of rivals' results and said the proximity of televisions and mobile phones make it practically impossible to do.