Manchester City host Arsenal at The Ethiad this evening in one of the biggest fixture of the Premier League matchday five.
Pep Guardiola takes on his apprentice Mikel Arteta, for the third time since their parting in December 2019. Both managers have won one apiece of their meetings with City beating Arsenal 3-0 in the league while Arsenal won 2-0 in their FA Cup and this clash is set to be a tie breaker.
The Gunners are winless in their last nine games against their host who have won seven and drawn two in the process though, Arsenal were the happier of the two in their last meeting which is in the semi final of last season’s FA Cup with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s two goals winning it for the London club at Wembley.
The Citizens have had a poor start to the season, winning one of their first three league games while also drawing one with the other one a 5-2 home loss to Leicester City.
It did not help Pep Guardiola side that both central forward Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus have been sidelined with injuries. It get worse for them as Kevin De Bruyne has also been sidelined for atleast their next three games due to an injury sustained while on international duty.
Arsenal have been a better side than their counterpart this season, with three wins from four league games and a place in the quarter final of the Carabao Cup, by seeing of Leicester City and Liverpool with both matches played away.
Mikel Arteta side have injury crisis of their own with the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Gabriel Martinelli, Pablo Mari and others ruled out of this encounter while club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is an injury doubt.
They have however received good news with Kieran Tierney set to be available for City trip after being released from isolation due to Coronavirus reasons involving a Southampton player, Stuart Amstrong while on international duty.
Thomas Partey will also be available to make his debut for The Gunners after sealing a £45m deadline day move to The Emirates from Spanish club Atletico Madrid.
Predicted lineups
Manchester City: 4 3 3 Formation – Ederson, Mendy, Laporte, Dias, Walker, Rodri, Gundogan, Foden, Bernardo, Sterling, Mahrez.
Arsenal: 4 3 3 Formation – Leno, Tierney, Luis, Gabriel, Bellerin, Xhaka, Thomas, Ceballos, Willian, Lacazette, Aubameyang.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Time: 17:30
Venue: Ethiad Stadium, Manchester
Afolabi Kehinde Hassan
