On Thursday (IST), Manchester City will play against Arsenal in what is expected to be the most exciting game of the Premier League calendar. This match features the current champions facing off against the struggling leaders.
Manchester City comfortably defeated Sheffield United 3-0 in the FA Cup over the weekend while Arsenal drew 3-3 with Southampton, which led to them losing more points in the title race. Despite Manchester City competing in three different competitions, they are still dominating their opponents as the season comes to a close.
The outcome of this game is crucial for both teams as they have the power to control their fate in the title race, and they will step onto the Etihad Stadium with equal opportunities to win.
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Manchester City-Arsenal match preview
Manchester City, who are currently unbeaten in their last 16 matches and have won 13 of them, are set to host Arsenal in a Premier League game. Although Manchester City has been on a six-game winning streak in the Premier League, their defense has been weak in their last ten games, allowing Arsenal to have a chance of winning.
Manchester City has won all 12 of their home games at the Etihad stadium in 2023, scoring at least two goals in every game, except for their 1-0 FA Cup win over Arsenal.
While City’s manager Pep Guardiola may feel proud that his former protege Arteta has been performing well as Arsenal’s boss, he will not let sentiments interfere with the game. Arteta will have to come up with a plan to engineer the biggest win of his managerial career, although Arsenal has shown signs of weakness, such as letting successive two-goal leads slip in games against West Ham United and Liverpool.
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Additionally, Arsenal has ongoing defensive concerns and has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six games.
Despite their struggles, Arsenal remains the best-performing away team in the Premier League season, having earned 36 points from 16 away games and conceding only 13 goals. Arsenal has also scored at least twice in their last eight top-flight matches, whether they were playing at home or away.
Nonetheless, Arteta will have to work overtime to address Arsenal’s defensive issues, especially with games against Chelsea and Newcastle United coming up in the next few weeks.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Laporte; Stones, Rodri; Mahrez, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus
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Manchester City-Arsenal prediction
Manchester City has been in excellent form since the start of the year and shows no signs of slowing down as the season nears its end. Their recent success can be attributed in part to the outstanding performance of Erling Haaland, who has been scoring goals at an impressive rate for Guardiola’s team. Haaland is expected to continue his goal-scoring spree in the upcoming fixture and add to his already impressive tally.
Meanwhile, Arsenal has been experiencing a surprisingly poor run of form this month and cannot afford to slip up in this game. The Gunners must find a way to bounce back and perform to their full potential if they hope to come away with a positive result.
A loss for the Gunners would likely deal a severe blow to their hopes of securing a top-four finish. A win, on the other hand, would give them a much-needed boost and put them back on track in the race for Champions League qualification.
Therefore, they will need to put in a strong performance and show their mettle against a strong Manchester City side, whom we predict will win 3-1.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal
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Date, kick-off time, venue
Manchester City and Arsenal will compete against each other in the English Premier League at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on April 26, at 12:30 am (IST).
