The narratives have taken over when it comes to the Premier League race, and Manchester City’s current form states they are very much in the thick of things amid Arsenal’s slip-ups. Following draws with Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, not many would have believed Pep Guardiola’s side would stay alive and extremely relevant in the running, but here we are.
Manchester City have impressively bounced back in the face of adversity, which saw them go nine points behind Arsenal in the title race, albeit with a game in hand. A run of games that included those aforementioned draws, as well as an exit from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid.
However, the EFL Cup final win over Arsenal appears to have spurred Manchester City out of their shell, as that victory followed successes in the FA Cup over Liverpool and the thorough 3-0 result away at Chelsea. Ahead of what could be a title-decider of sorts against the Gunners, Manchester City are the team under pressure to deliver a win, as a draw would peg them back but still keep them in the race.
Speaking of narratives, the talk of the town is about Arsenal squandering another opportunity to win the Premier League this season. Despite being six points in the lead and into the Champions League semi-final, the talk in the outside world seems to be circling around how Mikel Arteta’s side can make their current situation worse and hand the onus to their rivals over at the Etihad.
There are some genuine concerns over their form, as Arsenal are currently on a run of one win in five, which came at Sporting CP away in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finals. Between that game and the second leg, they missed a massive opportunity to keep the pressure on Manchester City by losing to Bournemouth last weekend at the Emirates, while also exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Southampton.
Despite all the narratives belittling the Gunners and pushing the idea that they will be the ones needing a win, the reality is starkly different. Arteta’s side can be happy if they come out with a draw at the Etihad, and while a win will certainly cement the favourites tag, the real onus to collect three points on Sunday is on Manchester City and not the Gunners.
Pep Guardiola may not change too many things from the Chelsea win, as there are no fresh concerns with his squad. There was a scare for key man Nico O’Reilly after he was taken off with a hamstring issue in that game, but the manager has since affirmed he is ‘fine’ to face Arsenal on Sunday.
As things stand, there are three defensive absentees for Guardiola’s side, as he ruled out Ruben Dias, while John Stones and Josko Gvardiol are the others. With an unchanged lineup expected, the only possible change that Guardiola can think of is the left-back slot if he feels the risk of starting O’Reilly, yet the talented star is expected to play his way into the starting lineup.
Rayan Cherki will be the man to pull the strings for Manchester City in a creative sense, as he will have the support of Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo on either side. Bernardo Silva, who will leave the club at the end of the season, will keep his captain’s armband and the midfield spot alongside Rodri.
With some key defenders still absent, Abdukodir Khusanov will assume his place in central defence alongside Marc Guehi. Mateus Nunes and O’Reilly in the full-back roles, Gianluigi Donnarumma will complete the backline, while Erling Haaland does the same up front, as he will lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Silva, Rodri; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
There are still some key absentees in this Arsenal squad, including key man Bukayo Saka. The winger was expected to make a return much earlier, but his ongoing issue will keep him out of the game on Sunday, as the wider hope is to see him feature in the Champions League semi-finals.
Noni Madueke also suffered a problem against Sporting in midweek, but his knee issue is thought to be minor, and he is now expected to be part of the squad. In that sense, he might start again on the right wing, or else Mikel Arteta might make some changes to his starting lineup.
Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, and Jurrien Timber are all seen as touch-and-go for this clash, with the expectation circling around having at least two of those available for the game. Eberechi Eze made his return to the starting lineup on Wednesday and will play in the No. 10 role on Sunday.
On the tactical side of things, there are some key decisions that Arteta must make, especially the idea of using Gabriel Martinelli on the right-hand side. He could potentially use Gabriel Jesus on the left as an alternative to Leandro Trossard, while Kai Havertz might replace Viktor Gyokeres up front.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice; Martinelli, Eze, Jesus; Havertz
At the moment, if there is a player who is on song, it is O’Reilly compared to all the stars in both teams combined. The Manchester City academy product has had a truly breakthrough campaign, and his brace in the EFL Cup final has been a big turning point in his form.
He has built a reputation for arriving late into the box, and this move has proved lethal in many games. He will be a player on Mikel Arteta’s mind when thinking tactics for the game, as once again O’Reilly could prove to be the difference maker, this time in a potential title-deciding clash.
Manchester City do have the superior form when comparing both teams in their current state, but the stakes are very high for this game on Sunday. While there are suggestions that Pep Guardiola’s side could secure an ‘easy’ victory over the Gunners, things may not be as straightforward.
With the onus on Manchester City to win rather than Arsenal, Mikel Arteta is not expected to sit in a low block of sorts, which he rarely ever does. However, this is probably the game for the Gunners’ boss to use his pragmatic methods to extract a draw that will favour the north Londoners more than the hosts, as this game could end in a stalemate.
