Premier League: Sky Blues and Gunners in Sunday Showdown

Manchester City vs Arsenal

The apprentice meets the master again on Sunday when the Premier League top two come face to face at the Etihad Stadium.

From the outset the Premier League 2024 betting odds have said it will be Manchester City and Arsenal battling it out for the title next May, and I suspect that will continue to be the case, unless Arne Slot can pull some magic out of the hat at Anfield. My questions are, can the Gunners stay with the Sky Blues up to the very end of the season and then, can they finally get over the line.

Arteta’s men were runners up in 2023 and 2024, while Guardiola’s all-stars are chasing a record fifth consecutive league title and one thing is for certain, we will see 22 of the best players on the planet at the Etihad on Sunday.         

Both teams were in Champions League action in midweek, the Sky Blues at home to Inter Milan on Wednesday when they played out a goalless draw, and Arsenal away to Atalanta on Thursday; so City have an extra day to prepare before we get back to Premier League business.  

 

Talking Points

Sky Blues focussing on matters on the pitch

The big Premier League 2024 news this week has surrounded the start of the league’s hearing into Manchester’s City’s alleged 115 breaches. The Sky Blues rivals are very keen to see the book thrown at them after Guardiola’s team has been so utterly dominant over the past four years. If the club is found guilty by the Premier League there are a range of punishments available, including points deductions or even relegation. The club has been charged with breaking financial fair play rules between 2009, when the Abu Dhabi United Group took over, until 2018, in which time they won three of their eight Premier League titles in modern times. The lawyers for both sides will be in battle for an estimated two months but the findings are unlikely to be aired until the latter part of the campaign.

Guardiola is refusing to get drawn into the discussion, saying neither he nor his players are lawyers and so they will do their job and leave the row to the legal eagles.

And you have to admit they are doing their job pretty well. City’s 2-1 win over Brentford last week was a tougher gig than expected and it took two goals from Erling Braut Haaland to turn around an early deficit; but that made it four wins from four for the Sky Blues and nine goals so far for the Norwegian. The assists for his goals are coming from everywhere, not just Kevin De Bruyne, and that makes cutting off the supply pretty much impossible.    

 

Three key Gunners hoping for a return

Arteta wants his best available hand to play for the biggest game of Arsenal’s season so far, and he has three of his top men waiting for a start, one a certainty, one a likely and one a more distant hopeful. Midfield maestro Declan Rice will make a return after serving a one match suspension in Arsenal’s North London derby win. The 25 year old was dismissed for two yellow cards in a 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion and will be welcomed back in Bergamo on Thursday and then Manchester on Sunday.          

Summer recruit Riccardo Calafiori, missed the clash with Tottenham due to a calf strain he picked up playing for Italy, but he is back in full training and, while Atalanta may come too soon for the centre back he could be part of the squad for Manchester.

And then there’s skipper Martin Odegaard. He picked up an ankle injury on duty for Norway during the international break and was expected to be out for a minimum of three weeks. We will have to wait and see, but Odegaard is such a key player Arteta will not rush him back. And on Wednesday night the club released a statement which suggested the wait may be longer than originally hoped. 

Any fears that winger Bukayo Saka is doubtful after he limped off during the derby have been quashed, the England man was suffering from cramp and he is fit to return. 

 

History

Arsenal have failed to win on their last ten visits to the Etihad Stadium but last season Arteta had the measure of Guardiola, taking a 0-0 draw away from Manchester after beating the Sky Blues 1-0 at the Emirates.

With four wins from four the reigning champions are top of the table, while Arsenal’s only dropped points, the 1-1 draw at home to Brighton and Hove Albion put them two behind the leaders.  

 

Betting Tip

At 1.75 to win this clash the league leaders are strong favourites to make it five victories from five, but the Gunners will give them their biggest domestic test so far and, at SBOTOP odds of 3.97 to win and 3.29 to draw, Arteta’s men will be more than competitive. 

 

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