Manchester City vs Arsenal Preview: Premier League Prediction, How to Watch, Score Prediction, Team News & More

Oh Arsenal, how we’ve missed you.

While the international break can offer welcome respite from the weekly trials and tribulations of watching Arsenal, the three-game long one we’ve just had felt unnecessarily long.

We just want to watch Thomas Partey play.

Whether the latter will happen is another topic of discussion, as Mikel Arteta leads his side north to his former stomping ground in the hopes of taking a 2-1 series lead over Pep Guardiola in their meetings as managers.

An apprentice vs master narrative will be spun in preparation to add bite to the fixture, but in the end it’s just two sides wanting to win a game of football. Arsenal, who have gone 70 months without a Premier League victory away at a ‘big six’ side head into Saturday’s clash on the back of a decent start to the season, and with a fresh face in midfield.

This ground was the sight of a comprehensive defeat after Project Restart, one tainted further by a diabolical David Luiz performance and a long-term injury issue for Pablo Mari.

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Victory at the Etihad Stadium would provide a confidence boost that will be vital as Arsenal head into a tough run of league fixtures that sandwich the upcoming Europa League group stage campaign. Inflicting a second successive 5-2 defeat on Manchester City at their home would go down a treat.

Aside from that shock loss to Leicester, City also failed to beat newly-promoted Leeds last time out, this despite spending £300bn on defenders in the last few years.

Are they there to be got at? you’d think any side with Benjamin Mendy must be…

How to Watch on TV

When Is Kick Off? Saturday 17th October
What Time Is Kick Off? 17:30 (BST)
Where Is it Played? Etihad Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports (UK), fuboTV (US)
Referee? Chris Kavanagh

Team News

Sead Kolasinac recovered from a knock he picked up on international duty to start in the recent defeat to Poland, so he couldcome in at left centre-back with it appearing that Kieran Tierney will not be eligible to play having been forced to quarantine for 14 days.

Defenders Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari are edging ever closer to returning, as too is Shkodran Mustafi, with the trio all expected to be available for selection later this month.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles might have been a bit short for the match but only played 35 minutes of England’s loss to Denmark after receiving a Harry Maguire-inspired helping hand. Dani Ceballos also came through his Spain break untroubled, with the same for Granit Xhaka.

Obviously, the name everyone is keen to know about is Partey. He had his first training session on Thursday and will be assessed over the coming days before a decision is made. Fingers crossed.

Some (very) welcome news for Arsenal is the doubts lingering over both Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling. The Belgian withdrew from the national squad ahead of their final match and may be short for Saturday, while it’s a similar situation for Sterling who played no part in England’s fixtures.

New signing Ruben Dias made his debut in the draw with Leeds, while Nathan Ake has also been featuring since his summer move, although it’s likely to be a centre-back pairing of Aymeric Laporte and Dias.

With Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero still in the treatment room, it could be the Gunners’ best chance to earn a positive result away at City for five years.

Predicted Lineups

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Laporte, Dias, Mendy; Gundogan, Rodri, Foden; Torres, Mahrez, Sterling

Arsenal: Leno; Holding, Luiz, Gabriel; Bellerin, Partey, Ceballos, Maitland-Niles; Willian, Lacazette, Aubameyang

Recent Form

With just one loss inflicted on Arsenal so far this season, confidence is high. On top of that, bringing in a big-money signing like Partey will lift a dressing room who will be under no illusions that the squad needed more quality. More competition for places will only help bring the best out of everyone.

With the Liverpool loss essentially seen as a free hit – Arsenal simply aren’t at that level yet – the two most recent wins, one coming against Liverpool, will put the club in good stead.

In the case of City, they kicked off their 2020/21 campaign with an excellent 3-1 win away at Wolves – a fixture that is troublesome for even the best of teams. They’ve since hit a bump in the road, getting smashed 5-2 at home to Leicester in a remarkable game having led after four minutes, which was followed up with a 1-1 draw at Leeds.

Again, in that clash they led and were dominating, only for defensive frailties to cost them dearly. That game could easily have finished 5-1, 1-5 or 5-5. Arsenal don’t create enough chances, but their superior forwards would have tucked some of those opportunities away.

Seeing a Guardiola side concede five goals in a single match – six in two if you want to angle it that way – is not what we’ve become accustomed to. Boasting all the money in the world, it’s no good splashing heavily on defenders if they’re not getting coached properly. Dare I say, they could do with an Arteta?

Here is how each side has fared in their last five fixtures.

Manchester City

Leeds United 1-1 Manchester City (03/10)
Burnley 0-3 Manchester City (30/09)
Manchester City 2-5 Leicester (27/09)
Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth (24/09)
Wolves 1-3 Manchester City (21/09)

Arsenal

Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield United (04/10)
Liverpool 0(4)-0(5) Arsenal (01/10)
Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal (28/09)
Arsenal 2-1 West Ham (19/09)
Fulham 0-3 Arsenal (12/09)

Score Prediction

And now we come to this. I’ve mentioned why this is Arsenal’s best chance for a while to end this excruciating hoodoo we have away at ‘big six’ sides, but despite all the opportunity, confidence and player absences, it becomes near impossible to be too confident.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1316681171208728577

I, like many other supporters, have been in good spirits heading to away grounds against the sides mentioned only for reality to slap us right across the face. For FIVE YEARS we’ve travelled to Manchester United, City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool and left without three points.

That run is demoralising beyond belief. Paying huge amount to charter up and down the country only to face the long journey home with a face like a slapped arse.

Can that change on Saturday? No, not really.

Arsenal will leave without defeat, but likewise without victory. Rarely ever have City looked so weak at the back – particularly the calamitous Mendy – and at the same time the Partey arrival will give the whole side a lift.

Discounting all of the positive signs, however, it’s still City we’re playing. There may be no De Bruyne (I still reckon he’ll start) or Sterling, Jesus and Aguero, but they’re a terrifying side to deal with in attack. They’ll cause anyone problems.

Goals will be forthcoming for both sides, so I’m plumping for a Desmond.

Score Prediction: Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal