The treble winners, Manchester City, visit the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal in the Premier League matchday eight fixture. It’s a huge showdown for English football as the two teams that led the table last season face each other.
Pep Guardiola’s men were expected to be the runners-up in the Premier League due to Arsenal’s superb term, but City managed to overtake them in the title race. The Gunners were favourites to lift the trophy this season, but they lost the top spot when they faced the Sky Blues at the Etihad Stadium on April 26, 2023.
The showdown ended 4-1 to the Manchester outfit thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s brace and goals scored by John Stones and Erling Haaland. It was from that moment on that the Gunners lost their lead and fought to regain it but the invincible City dashed their dreams.
Sunday’s encounter will be the first meeting between the two English giants in the 2023/24 campaign in domestic competition. Mikel Arteta’s men will be looking for redemption after last season’s disappointment but the treble winners will not make it easy for them.
However, manager Pep Guardiola is aware that a tough game awaits them at the Gunners’ home as he believes they are long-term Premier League title rivals.
“They were the biggest rival last season like in the past they were not there – they already arrived and will stay there for a long time,” he said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the matchday eight fixture.
“Absolutely [they will be title rivals], along with Liverpool. To analyse contenders, the idea is the first 10 games. We haven’t played 10. We have to wait but big clubs are always contenders. Arsenal is back. When I was a young boy and starting as a manager at Barcelona I know they fought Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United team. Then for many years they were not there but now they’re back.
“It’s a contender, yes, and when you see in the calendar it says you go to the Emirates [you know] it’s a tougher one,” he added.
Despite Manchester City’s superb performances this season, Spanish coach Pep Guardiola will be without several key players for the Emirates Stadium clash. Kevin De Bruyne, who played a prominent role in the team’s success last campaign, is out of action with a hamstring injury, as is Bernardo Silva, who is unlikely to be available through injury.
Moreover, midfielder Rodri Hernandez was sent off in the Premier League encounter against Nottingham Forest after receiving a straight red card. The Spaniard grabbed Morgan Gibbs-White around the neck less than 60 seconds into the second-half and will face a costly suspension as a three-game ban will see him miss the Premier League visit to Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Arsenal starboy Bukayo Saka is unexpected to be fit as he was injured in the 1-2 defeat in the Champions League group stage meeting against Lens and manager Mikel Arteta said his muscle injury “doesn’t look good”.
“It was an action. It was a backheel and he felt something specific. It was nothing else. Obviously, he wasn’t comfortable to continue. But it doesn’t look good,” he told reporters.
Nonetheless, the Spanish boss said on Friday that Saka is “in contention” to play against the Sky Blues at the pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s game.
“Obviously, he had to leave the pitch and that’s never good news, but let’s see how he recovers. But he’s incontention! That’s it. I’m not a doctor. That’s what they told me,” he added. Furthermore, the 22-year-old has been called up by coach Gareth Southgate to help England in upcoming international games. We will have to wait to find out the forward’s condition for Sunday’s Premier League clash.
The Gunners boss was assistant to Pep Guardiola before moving to the Emirates Stadium and was asked by reporters if the two would be surprised when they meet on Sunday.
“I’m sure that every year we have new tools and new players that can do different things, but obviously we know each other and we expect something from each other. At the end, it is down to the players and they are the ones that surprise you the most. That’s for sure.”
The last meeting between the two sides was in the Community Shield on 6th August 2023, where Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties after the 90 minutes ended in a 1-1 draw. However, the Gunners have lost their last twelve games against Manchester City in the English top flight, scoring just five goals and conceding 33. It’s Arsenal’s longest losing streak against any Premier League rival.
Nonetheless, coach Mikel Arteta believes the Community Shield win will give them hope of winning Sunday’s home game: “To win a title against Man City is always something you have to value. The way we did it as well and it gives us confidence and belief that we can beat them.
He went on to add: “We aren’t looking back for sure because there were different players participating in those games, but we know one thing for certain, that we’re going to have to be at our best. We have to be at our best in every department for 100 minutes. Then we have a chance.”
Mikel Arteta’s men are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League matches – against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth.
Nevertheless, they lost 1-2 in their last encounter in European competition against Lens in the Champions League group stage meeting while Manchester City won 3-1 against RB Leipzig in the same tournament.
But the Manchester outfit’s run in the Premier League is not quite as positive as Arsenal’s. They lost 1-2 against Wolves on matchday seven. Moreover, they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup against Newcastle.
If City were to defeat Arsenal, it would constitute the tied-longest winning streak in the Premier League for a team against an opponent.
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