Manchester City vs Arsenal – Preview and Prediction

Match Preview
Huge anticipation buzzes around the world of football as two biggies of English Premier League, Manchester City and Arsenal, are ready to lock horns with each other at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Manchester City, finally, put an end to their two matches losing streak in the Premier League by beating Watford 2-0 last Wednesday. With 33 points safely stuck into their pockets, Pep Guardiola’s men are now in the fourth place of the Premier League standings, seven points behind league leader Chelsea.

Arsenal succumbed to a shocking 2-1 defeat at the hands of Everton in their last game. With this disappointing defeat, Arsenal also lost their second place to Liverpool. However, the Gunners have the same number of points as Jurgen Klopp’s team.

With second-placed Liverpool not playing till Monday, this is a perfect opportunity for both teams to claim the second spot and show their title credentials against a direct rival.

Josep Guardiola Manager of Manchester City looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Watford at Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Watford at the Etihad Stadium. [Image by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images]
Arsenal has been mighty superior to City when it comes to previous clashes between these two sides. The Gunners have won four out of their recent six matches against City, while the remaining two matches were ended as a draw.

Team News: Manchester City
Man City’s talisman Sergio Aguero is ruled out of the game as he is serving his four-match suspension. Midfield pivot Fernandinho is also serving three-match suspension since he was also red-carded in the defeat to Chelsea two weeks ago. Nigerian international Kelechi Iheanacho is likely to replace the Argentine striker in the centre-forward role.

Influential captain Vincent Kompany will be a long-term absentee for City due to his knee injury. The Belgian has been extremely unlucky to be injured time and again as the club had hoped he would start delivering for City once again.

Pep Guardiola switched back to 4-2-3-1 formation in the last after his tactics completely failed in a 4-2 loss against Leicester City a week ago. He probably will stick to the same formation against Arsene Wenger’s team.

Manchester City: Predicted Line-up (4-2-3-1)

Bravo – Sagna, Stones, Otamendi, Kolarov – Toure, Fernando – De Bruyne, Sterling, Silva – Iheanacho

Team News: Arsenal
Arsenal injury woes still continue as several first team players are injured at the moment.

Defenders Shkodran Mustafi and Mathieu Debuchy are both ruled out of the match due to their hamstring injuries. Per Mertesacker also will miss the match as the defender is unfit after being injured for months. The captain may return to the side at the end of this month.

A dejected Hector Bellerin of Arsenal looks on following his team’s 2-1 defeat during the Premier League match between Everton and Arsenal.
A dejected Hector Bellerin looks on following his team’s 2-1 defeat during the Premier League match against Everton. [Image by Alex Livesey/Getty Images]
Midfielder Santi Cazorla is also unavailable to start the match. His absence could make a lack of creativity in the Gunners’ midfield.

The likes of Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck, and Chuba Akpom also will be unavailable for Man City match.

Arsenal: Predicted Line-up (4-2-3-1)

Cech – Bellerin, Paulista, Koscielny, Monreal – Xhaka, Coquelin – Ozil, Walcott, Sanchez – Giroud

Manchester City vs. Arsenal: Head-to-Head
Total games: 169
Manchester City wins: 16
Arsenal wins: 87
Draws: 41

Man City vs. Arsenal: TV Schedule and Channel
In the U.S., the match will be live on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Manchester, NOW TV UK, Sky Ultra HD, Sky Go UK, Sky Sports 1/HD UK, and SKY GO Extra. For other regions, the TV schedule can be found at the link here.

Man vs. Arsenal: Prediction
This is the battle between two of the strongest teams in the league. Hence, there is no absolute favorite to win this tie. Arsenal holds a pretty good record against Manchester City in the recent games, as the Gunners are undefeated in their last six encounters.

Manchester City will try to capitalize on their home advantage and try to win this mouth-watering tie. However, Arsenal has enough quality to cope with pressure from Man City.

Final Predicted Score: Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal

Man City vs. Arsenal: Betting Tips and Odds
Manchester City win: 6/5
A draw: 5/2
Arsenal win: 11/5
Under 2.5 goals: 6/5
Over 2.5 goals: 8/13
Both teams score: 1/2
Both teams fail to score: 6/4