Arsenal vs Manchester City: Preview and Prediction

Arsenal and Manchester City resume their rivalry as the two teams are ready to clash at the Emirates in a crunch encounter for either manager.

Arsenal booked their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with a narrow victory over Girona away from home and finished third in the standings as they get set to turn their attention towards Premier League excursions again when they host Manchester City at the Emirates this weekend.

Mikel Arteta had long stressed the need to finish in the top-eight positions in the UEFA Champions League to avoid the prospect of adding two additional games to their fixtures list, and they have done so comfortably in the end.

Arteta will now shift his focus to matters in the Premier League, as Arsenal have a crunch encounter with Manchester City. The Gunners endured a difficult time away at Wolves following a controversial refereeing decision from Michael Oliver to red card Myles Lewis-Skelly, with the three-game ban since overturned in a week dominated by those calls.

Arsenal eventually won the game after Wolves star Joao Gomes saw red in the second half, as Riccardo Calafiori later scored the only goal later on. The Gunners will come into the Manchester City clash knowing their need to win and keep up the pressure on Liverpool, who beat Bournemouth on Saturday. Arteta will know more dropped points could potentially end their chances in the title race.

Manchester City, on the other hand, barely made it into the top 24 of the Champions League after a wobbly performance on Matchday 8 against Club Brugge. Following a difficult first half, Pep Guardiola’s side went into the break trailing the Belgian side but came back roaring in the second half with three goals to finish 22nd in the Champions League standings and make it to the playoffs.

Manchester City are now set to face Real Madrid in a two-legged playoff to reach the round of 16s, which does add two extra games to their otherwise hectic schedule. They have stuttered this season and at present, certainly out of the title race, although they did return to the top four last weekend with a comfortable victory over rivals Chelsea at the Etihad.

Under Guardiola, Manchester City have been the dominant force in this fixture, but in recent meetings, they have found it difficult to beat Arsenal. The Gunners are unbeaten against Manchester City in their last three Premier League games and four across all competitions. Guardiola will want to change that reading on Sunday at the Emirates.

Team News & Tactics

Arsenal

The home side are sweating on the fitness of David Raya, who sat out against Girona in midweek. Arteta mentioned it was a muscular issue the goalkeeper was dealing with, and he will be a big miss should the Spaniard miss out on Sunday’s crunch encounter.

Other than that, there are no new incomings or fresh problems for the Gunners, as Mikel Arteta has some key selection decisions to make ahead of the game on Sunday. Arteta did rest a few key stars like William Saliba, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice for the midweek trip to Girona, and those three players are set to return to the lineup.

Saliba could replace the ineffective Jakub Kiwior, while Arteta has a big decision on his starting left-back. While Lewis-Skelly is now available following a successful appeal to rescind his red card, Calafiori has shown more than enough to keep his place. So, the Italian could continue at left-back despite starting in the midweek European fixture.

Rice, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey are set to play in the midfield trifecta for Arsenal, while Kai Havertz will certainly lead the line for Arsenal against Manchester City. Arteta might give teenager Ethan Nwaneri a start on the right wing to test his credentials against a top team, while Leandro Trossard is also set to start, meaning Gabriel Martinelli might stay on the bench.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Havertz, Trossard

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola does not have any fresh problems following the midweek clash, and he is not expecting any of his injured players to return. Ruben Dias, Oscar Bobb, Rodri, Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku are all out of contention.

Last weekend, Guardiola handed new arrival Abdukodir Khusanov a start, and that may change as John Stones is expected to start at the heart of the defence alongside Manuel Akanji. Josko Gvardiol is the obvious choice at left-back, Guardiola has used Matheus Nunes as a right-back in his last two games, and it remains to be seen whether the Portuguese international is once again ahead of Rico Lewis.

Mateo Kovacic could once again start in the lone midfield role, while Guardiola could use both Kevin De Bruyne and Omar Marmoush in the attacking setup, with the Egyptian taking a wide role on the left. Phil Foden could start on the opposite flank as Erling Haaland leads the line for Manchester City against Arsenal.

Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Nunes, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Foden, Silva, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland

Key Stats

  • Arsenal are undefeated in their last 13 matches in the Premier League.
  • Arsenal are undefeated against Manchester City in their last three Premier League games.
  • Manchester City have scored at least two goals in their last five matches in the Premier League.
  • Manchester City have lost only once in 40 games played between January and the end of the season.
  • Savinho has been directly involved in five goals in his last six appearances in all competitions, scoring two and assisting three – one more than in his first 23 games for Manchester City.

Player to Watch

Declan Rice

Embed from Getty Images

Rice has been phenomenal over the last few weeks, and his return to form and fitness has been a big boost for Mikel Arteta. There are still levels to his game the midfielder can reach, and he is showing more inclination towards playing near the final third, which does show the range of his versatility and qualities.

Against Manchester City, Rice must take the game by its scruff, considering Pep Guardiola’s obvious problems in the middle of the park with counterpart Rodri missing. This will be an interesting watch on Rice and how he takes control of the proceedings in the midfield at the Emirates on Sunday.

Prediction

Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City

Manchester City are showing signs of revival after an abject period in their season earlier. However, many gaps have become obvious in recent games, which might hurt them at the Emirates against Arsenal.

The Gunners, on the other hand, are missing key attackers like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, but they might have enough in the tank to hurt the ailing Manchester City defence. On form and consistency, Arsenal could trump at the Emirates with a narrow scoreline, although neither team are expected to keep a clean sheet in the process.

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