Is this the game that will decide the Premier League title race? With only a handful of fixtures left in the season, Manchester City and Arsenal, England's top two teams in the table, prepare to battle it out for arguably the most crucial three points of the campaign.
While the visitors enter this clash as the league leaders, form favors the hosts ahead of Wednesday's fixture. Just as many predicted, Guardiola's men have hit that fabled form, going on a nine-game unbeaten run in the Premier League since their 1-0 defeat away to Tottenham back in February. Not only that but the Cityzens have scored three or more goals in six of those outings, including their Emirates Stadium run-in with Arsenal which they won 3-1.
One huge factor behind this is the brilliant balance Guardiola has established between attack and defense. Gone are the days when City were picked apart on the transition similar to that 2-1 defeat at home to Brentford back in November, with Pep now fielding a back-four consisting of only center-backs.
While Nathan Ake will miss this tie, Guardiola is likely to opt for a similar approach against the Gunners while relying on Kevin de Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, and one of Bernardo Silva or Riyad Mahrez to deliver magic in the final third.
And with the home advantage being on Manchester City's side, the odds favor the reigning champions. Arsenal boast a horrible record at the Etihad Stadium and the current table means even a point would be advantageous for the Cityzens.
Haaland and Co. are five points behind the North London giants but the hosts have two games in hand. As a result, were this tie to end in a stalemate, City would simply need to win the rest of their fixtures and the title is theirs. While this is easier said than done, it would put the title race in their hands for the first time this season.
Arsenal, meanwhile, enter this clash as the underdogs. A few weeks ago, Arteta's men were labeled the favorites to win the title. Fast forward to today and their dream of winning a Premier League title is quickly evaporating.
While the Gunners are five points ahead, Saka and Co. have played two games extra. Additionally, their confidence has been shattered after three disappointing results, with the North London giants dropping points in three consecutive games.
The first two saw the league leaders throw away an early two-goal lead at Liverpool and West Ham to draw 2-2. On both occasions, Arsenal could have lost the game despite enjoying a blistering start.
In their most recent outing, the Gunners conceded three at home to bottom-of-the-table Southampton and would have suffered their second Emirates Stadium defeat in the Premier League this season had it not been for goals from Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka in the final two minutes of normal time.
In the end, Arteta's men drew 3-3 with the Saints and are thus in a do-or-die state. As explained earlier, a draw might not even be enough, and with Arsenal facing Chelsea, Newcastle, and Brighton straight after this, a victory may not even suffice.
Additionally, form isn't the only issue as the recent injury to William Saliba has presented the club with problems. The last time Rob Holding started against Manchester City was in the FA Cup encounter earlier this season and while he performed well in his duels with Haaland, the English center-back picked up a first-half yellow card against the Norwegian and was subsequently substituted off during half-time.
However, one thing that should be noted was the earlier Premier League encounter. While the Gunners lost 3-1, this was mostly due to individual errors and not tactical issues. Manchester City scored twice on the back of errors from Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel, which means the North London giants could end their eight-year wait for a win at the Etihad Stadium if they avoid silly mistakes at the back.
Team news
Manchester City: Nathan Ake has been ruled out of this fixture after suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich. Other than that, Guardiola has a fully-fit squad to choose from, with Aymeric Laporte likely to deputize for the aforementioned Dutchman. It will be interesting to see whether Riyad Mahrez or Bernardo Silva starts on the right while Kyle Walker will be hoping for some minutes as Pep will have to thwart Arsenal's deadly Martinelli-Saka duo.
Arsenal: Unlike City, the Gunners have a handful of issues, the first being William Saliba, who could be out for the rest of the season after injuring his back in their UEFA Europa League clash with Sporting CP. Meanwhile, Granit Xhaka, who missed the Southampton draw, is a doubt due to illness but is likely to feature. Additionally, with calls for a tactical tweak, it will be interesting to see whether Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior, or even Kieran Tierney get a rare start. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny are the long-term absentees.
Key stats
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Man City are on a seven-game winning streak against Arsenal.
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The North London giants have won only one of their last 15 encounters with the Cityzens across all competitions while losing a whopping 14 times.
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The Gunners are unbeaten in the Premier League in their last 10 games despite suffering three consecutive draws.
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No team has picked up more points away from home this season than Arteta's men (36 out of 48 points).
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The Cityzens boast a 100 percent record at home in 2023, winning all 12 of their Etihad Stadium fixtures in this calendar year.
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The last time the Gunners won a Premier League game at the Etihad Stadium was way back in January 2015, just over eight years ago.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
