Manchester city will be playing hosts to Arsenal at the Etihad stadium On Sunday, November 5th
Arsenal will be looking to do something no team has done in all competitions against Manchester city and that is to simply defeat them, the citizens have gone on a 10 match unbeaten run in the league and have a 9 point gap over the gunners. They are not only unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions this season but last lost in April, to Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals. They have won their last 14 games – a club record run – and scored 49 goals this term.
When asked if City could possibly emulate Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’, the Manchester City bald genius said: “We are five points in front of United. How many games left? Some team will beat us. We are beatable”.
Arsenal seems to be in good form in the league winning four of their last five league matches and could make a big statement with a good result at the Etihad. After the decimation at Anfield, they have lost just one of their last 13, a surprising last-gasp defeat to Watford in a game they dominated. Their run has included a creditable point at champions Chelsea and a notable 5-2 victory at Everton.
They will need Chilean forward to cast aside any emotional connection he may have for the Citizens and seek to hurt the formidable quartet of Walker, Stones, Otamendi and Delph. He’ll certainly need help from Mesut Özil who as created 30 goalscoring opportunities in the Premier League this season, a joint-league high with Kevin De Bruyne and Alexandre Lacazette who has scored a goal in 180 minutes. The game promises to be a spectacle with Arsene Wenger promising to “defend well but you cannot go there and only be focused on defending. The best way to defend sometimes is to attack.”
TEAM NEWS
Manchester city has no fresh injury worries and Manager Pep Guardiola had a chance to rest important players during the midweek UCL match vs Napoli. Long term absentees Vincent Kompany and Benjamin Mendy remains sidelined.
Arsene Wenger feels Wingback Sead Kolasinac should be able to overcome the hip injury he suffered vs Swansea last weekend and be in contention. Shkrodan Mustafi, Danny Welbeck and Calum Cahambers are all out of contention for few weeks.
- City completed 844 passes in the win at West Brom – the most by a team in the Premier League since Opta began recording this data in 2003.
- Arsene Wenger is the only manager to beat Pep Guardiola while he has managed Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
- Manchester City’s only win in nine games against Arsenal was a 1-0 league victory at the Etihad last season.
- Pep Guardiola’s side could equal the club league record of nine consecutive victories within a single season, set in February 1947 in the second tier.
- Arsenal could lose four of their opening six away matches of a top-flight season for the first time since 1981.
- City’s tally of 28 points equals the Premier League record after 10 games.
- The two previous sides with 28 points at this point (Chelsea in 2005 and City themselves in 2011) both went on to win the title.
Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Aguero, Sane, Sterling
Arsenal XI: Cech, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Bellerin, Xhaka, Ramsey, Kolasinac, Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette
Article By: Larry Feyi, @Larryfeyii
