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Arsenal To Be Impacted By Sergio Aguero And David Silva Injuries
Manchester City suffered two blows to their first team over the international break last week. Sergio Aguero and David Silva both picked up injuries. Contrary to the bad luck the Citizens had, Arsenal have no players who were injured over the break, meaning that Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere stands as the only player who will be out in the long term.
Alexis Sanchez and Laurent Koscielny both could be at 100% for the Watford fixture. Though it could be Manchester City that accidentally gives the North London men a boost. Aguero is without doubt the Premier League’s best player right now. An injury to the Argentinian forward means Manchester City are much weaker in attack, and the additional loss of David Silva creates two holes that need to be filled when it comes to team selection for the Citizens.
City have the lead at the top of the table over Arsenal by two points at the moment. But these injuries to star players could spell a dramatic shift in power after week ten. Manchester City play Bournemouth, and Watford host Arsenal this weekend. There has been a plethora of snatch-and-grab wins by small teams already. Both sides must make sure they pick up all three points.
The weekend of October 24 brings two far bigger matches for the top two teams. Manchester City, the number one side, could be knocked off their perch by their crosstown rivals at the Etihad if they fail to win. Arsenal face an Everton side that has improved massively from 2014-15.
Even though Manuel Pellegrini’s men have been excellent at home and the Red Devils were just trounced by the Gunners, Manchester United pose a challenge for the Citizens. However much improvement United need in terms of chance creation, Manchester City will have no Aguero, no Silva, and a role needing to be filled in one of their biggest games of the season. Such a volatile match can be won and lost by the individual. Games like these have been won by Sergio Aguero in the past, so without him there is no telling whether City can pull off a result.
The Gunners have not beaten Everton home and away in past seasons. The fixture is a huge game from an Arsenal perspective. It is clear that they are a team that relies on form and confidence to win big games. There will have been a three week period since their 3-0 win against Manchester United. But if Arsenal can play well against Watford they will be in a great spot against the Toffees. A rest for Alexis Sanchez at the weekend could be great for the Chilean, and he might be the one to rejuvenate their play against Everton when they most need it.
If Arsenal win two of two and Manchester United can beat their noisy neighbors away it will be a whole new title picture, since all three aforementioned teams will be on at least 21 points. A win against Watford would be a brilliant start, but the tables could shift completely with two wins on the bounce. Such a result in the Manchester Derby is more likely than before now that City’s two big stars are injured, and that means a much better chance for the Gunners of going top.
Next: What If Every Arsenal Man Was A Pokemon?