Manchester City welcome Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening with the Premier League title on the line, as the challengers face off in what many are considering a winner-takes-all contest.
City are six points behind Arsenal, but have a game in hand, and Guardiola’s side could effectively nullify the gap with a victory. Arteta’s side will be hoping to avoid defeat, having lost their last three domestic fixtures, although a 0-0 draw against Sporting CP at home saw them reach the UEFA Champions League semifinals.
Guardiola will be aiming to repeat the 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final last month, while Arsenal look for their first win at the Eithad since 2015.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s game.
How to watch:
The match will be shown on Sky Sports in the UK, NBC / Peacock in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Sunday, April 19 at 4:30 p.m. BST (11:30 a.m. ET; 9 p.m. IST and 1:30 a.m. AEST, Monday).
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester.
Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: John Brooks
Injury and Team News:
Manchester City
Rúben Dias, D: hamstring, OUT
John Stones, D: calf, OUT
Josko Gvardiol, D: tibia, OUT
Arsenal
Martin Ødegaard M: muscle, DOUBT
Jurriën Timber, D: knock, DOUBT
Riccardo Calafiori, D: knock, DOUBT
Noni Madueke, F: leg, DOUBT
Bukayo Saka, F: knock, OUT
Mikel Merino, M: foot, OUT
Talking Points:
City have the momentum in Premier League decider
The last time these two times met, City went into the game on the back of two defeats to Real Madrid and a draw away to West Ham. Since winning the Carabao Cup final, Guardiola’s side have returned from the international break in superb form, putting Liverpool and Chelsea to the sword, scoring seven unanswered goals in those two games.
In contrast, Arsenal have lost three of their last four games, having taken 49 games to lose three games prior to this run. Arteta’s side have looked well off the pace, limping to defeats against Championship side Southampton and Bournemouth. Their 0-0 draw against Sporting did nothing to dispel doubts about the team, despite making back-to-back Champions League semifinals for the first time in the club’s history.
“If we lose, it’s over” was how Guardiola described this game, but given Arsenal’s form of late, that might not be the case. Arteta’s side are running on fumes, and whether they have the energy left to go deep in the two most gruelling competitions in club football is debatable.
Even a draw would keep Arsenal in pole position for the league, but with league fixtures against Newcastle, Fulham, West Ham and Crystal Palace to come (all of whom who have taken points off Arsenal in the last couple of seasons), the title is not over, no matter what Guardiola says. If anything, if City win, it could be over.
Will playing away from home benefit Arsenal?
1:22
Laurens: Man City have all the momentum over Arsenal in the title race
Julien Laurens speaks about the Premier League title race after Man City’s 3-0 win over Chelsea.
It’s no secret that Arsenal are a bundle of nerves right now, with their players not at their confident best. A big contributor to those nerves is the nervous crowd at the Emirates, with groans for a misplaced pass as common as supportive chants.
Arsenal’s 0-0 draw against Sporting was far from comfortable, and the slender 1-0 lead always looked in danger of being thrown away. Arteta might be secretly glad that this fixture isn’t at the Emirates, where the anxiety is through the roof.
The Etihad isn’t exactly known for its intimidating atmosphere and while Arsenal haven’t won there since 2015, they have the quality to pull off a result. The onus also will be on Man City to come out and attack, which could play into the hands of Arsenal’s transitional players like Gabriel Martinelli and Eberechi Eze.
Arsenal’s lack of creativity remains a concern beyond this game
Arsenal have scored three goals in their last five games and have generated 3.19 xG in that span from open play — numbers that are decidedly not title-winning form.
Saka and Ødegaard are two of Arsenal’s best creative players and Arteta has been feeling their absence. With Saka ruled out for the trip to the Etihad and Noni Madueke a doubt, Arsenal could very well be fielding 16-year-old Max Dowman in a title-deciding clash.
Eberechi Eze’s return from injury has eased Arsenal’s creative issues slightly, but Arteta’s side still appear unable to break out from a press and build up play. Even if they’re able to earn the points against City, other teams have noted that a fatigued Arsenal are vulnerable to a press — which could result in more dropped points before the end of the season.
Can Arsenal deal with O’Reilly and Cherki?
Guardiola confirmed that Nico O’Reilly is available for this game in his pre-match press conference and that could be a major boost for City, with their academy product in fine goalscoring form. With six goals since February, O’Reilly is the top-scoring City player in that period, with even Erling Haaland unable to match those numbers.
His late runs into the box were used to devastating effect in the Carabao Cup final, and Arteta’s defenders will be aiming to keep the City youngster quiet. Guardiola’s 4-2-4 shape used at Wembley also brought out the best of Rayan Cherki, with the Frenchman’s numbers now making him a permanent fixture on Guardiola’s team sheet.
His trickery and ability to thread the needle make him a crucial asset in a game that might be decided by fine margins, although Arsenal could exploit his lack of defensive nous should they choose to set-up in a counter-attacking fashion.
What do the numbers say?
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Arsenal are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games against Man City (2-3-0 W-D-L).
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Manchester City have not lost to Arsenal at the Etihad since a 2-0 defeat in 2015.
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Guardiola’s side have not lost at home in the Premier League since their opening day defeat to Spurs.
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Rayan Cherki averages an assist every 138 minutes this season. Only Cesc Fabregas (111), and Kevin de Bruyne (123) have had better seasons in PL history.
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Eberechi Eze has contributed to a goal in each of his last three appearances against Man City.
