City, Arsenal meet in eagerly anticipated Premier League fixture.
In one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures of the Premier League season, the Gunners host City following their comfortable victory over Athletic Club in the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal vs. Manchester City begins at 16:30 [GMT+1] on Sunday, September 21, at the Emirates Stadium.
Following a 2-0 win over Athletic Club in the UEFA Champions League, the Gunners come into this clash with renewed confidence in their ability to challenge City, having ended a long winless run in the fixture last season. Arsenal have now won two of their last four league meetings with the Citizens (D2), as many as they managed in their previous 22 encounters combined (D5 L15). Victory here would give them back-to-back league wins over Pep Guardiola’s side for the first time since December 2015—a feat that would further underline Mikel Arteta’s progress against his former tutor. Recent meetings in North London also favour 2nd-placed Arsenal [WWLW]. City have lost each of their last two Premier League visits to the Emirates, as many defeats as in their previous 14 trips (W7 D5 L2). Not since April 2009 have the champions suffered a longer losing streak away to the Gunners, when they lost four in succession. Arteta’s men will be confident of extending that run given their excellent home form. Indeed, Arsenal have won their last three Premier League home games by an aggregate score of 9-0, highlighting not just their attacking efficiency but also their defensive solidity. They last strung together four straight home wins without conceding in December 2021, while you have to go all the way back to the 1960–61 season to find the last time they opened a campaign with three consecutive home clean sheets. Mikel Arteta is expected to deploy Viktor Gyökeres at the attacking end of his 4—2—3—1 formation.
A 2-0 win over ten-man Napoli also gave City a victory on MD 1, which saw Erling Haaland break the record for the fastest number of games to reach 50 UCL goals [49]. For the 8th-placed side, the scheduling may play a role. City have struggled in the Premier League immediately following European fixtures, losing five of their last seven such games (W2). That includes a heavy 5-1 defeat at Arsenal in February, which exposed vulnerabilities when balancing domestic and continental commitments. By contrast, their previous five post-European defeats were spread across 46 matches in a five-year span (W27 D14), a sign that this is a relatively new problem. All told, this is a clash between a resurgent Arsenal and a City [WLLW] side still capable of brilliance but wrestling with inconsistency. Pep is expected to deploy a 4—3—3 formation with Haaland, Phil Foden and Doku in attack.