Perhaps the game that could decide who will be Liverpool’s biggest title rival this season, Arsenal and Man City will commence battle in North London on Sunday afternoon.
A big rivalry has developed between the two in recent years, with Arsenal going toe-to-toe with City for the title in recent years and there’s also been the master and apprentice narrative with Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners have won four of five competitive games this season, with last week’s win against Nottingham Forest perhaps the best of the lot and they backed that up with a comfortable Champions League win against Athletic Bilbao.
Arteta’s men have got the tag of ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’ after three consecutive second place finishes, but this fixture could determine whether they have the potential to go all the way.
City had a disappointing start, losing to Tottenham and Brighton, but bounced back as they swept aside their dysfunctional neighbours Man United 3-0 last week.
The Cityzens will be wanting to show that they are in the title conversation as well with a win here and you can follow the game on our live score centre.
Arsenal team news
Arsenal have several long-term absentees including Gabriel Jesus, who is out with a knee injury, and Kai Havertz.
Captain Martain Odegaard will be absent as he recovers from a shoulder injury, while Bukayo Saka is still unavailable with a thigh problem and Ben White is doubtful.
Expect Mikel Merino to come in for Odegaard, while Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres will likely line up in attack.
Arsenal expected line-up
Man City team news
Guardiola has six absentees from his squad for this crunch clash including new signings Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Omar Marmoush, Mateo Kovacic, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips are all ruled out as well.
There are also some doubts about the fitness of Rodri, with Guardiola admitting he was unsure if the midfielder will be available for this one.
Man City expected line-up
Arsenal vs Man City: How to watch and listen
The game will be live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with kick-off at 16.30. Radio commentary will be live on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Arsenal vs Man City stats
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last five against City (3 W, 2 D) and in their most recent meeting back in February they beat City 5-1.
However, prior to that five game spell, City had beaten Arsenal in eight consecutive games.
In the history of the fixture, there have been 101 Arsenal wins, 65 triumphs for City and 47 draws.
Stuart Attwell is the referee and the last time he took charge of an Arsenal game was the 0-1 defeat at Newcastle in November 2023, when there was controversy surrounding Anthony Gordon’s goal.
Arsenal vs Man City prediction
The Gunners have won both of their home games this campaign, by a combined score of 8-0 and we think they’ll edge out City here.
There have been some tight clashes between the two recently, with Arsenal’s 5-1 win being a notable exception, and we think this could continue and a one-goal win for Arsenal is a worthwhile bet.
Arsenal’s set-pieces have been a big reason for their success in recent years and Declan Rice’s corner delivery is one of the best in the business. Rice also often stands up in the big games, so Rice to score or assist is an outside bet.
