Arsenal are back in business in the Premier League this weekend following the international break – and it could hardly be a bigger match.
The Gunners face their toughest test of the season in a trip to the Etihad Stadium to play title rivals Manchester City on Sunday. Mikel Arteta ’s side are in pole position with 10 matches left of the league campaign, but know any slip-ups will prove costly, with Liverpool level on points and defending champions City just one point behind.
Victory over Pep Guardiola’s side, who reeled them in last season, would be a huge statement and Arsenal could hardly be in better form, having won eight Premier League matches in succession. They will need to be at their absolute best to beat City and that will require a full squad to choose from.
Both Arsenal and Manchester City have injury worries heading into the key fixture, while the upcoming tactical battle between former colleagues Arteta and Guardiola has drawn some comments too. Here Mirror Football takes a look over the latest headlines.
Arsenal’s injury worries
The Gunners need their star players fit and firing on Sunday and Bukayo Saka’s withdrawal from the England squad before they played either of their recent friendlies is a concern for fans. However, the move was understood to have been cautionary, rather than necessity, and Saka should be available to face City.
There is more doubt surrounding the involvement of Gabriel Martinelli, who was not part of Brazil’s squad in the international break. He hasn’t played since the 6-0 win over Sheffield United on March 4 and Arteta hasn’t given an update recently.
Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey are all also doubts for the match. However, City’s injury problems could be even worse, with question marks around seven players, including Kyle Walker and John Stones following injuries on international duty. Kevin De Bruyne is also a doubt.
Arteta warned not to overthink
Arsenal taking on City is a familiar occasion for both sides and there is a lot of familiarity for the coaches involved, given Arteta used to work under Guardiola. The 42-year-old has only won three of his 11 matches against Guardiola, losing all of the other eight.
Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon has urged him to focus on his own side, rather than trying to second guess Guardiola. “Arteta’s biggest headache will be just trying to stay in the moment with his team, rather than trying to overthink what Pep is doing,” he told BetVictor.
“If you do that you’ll end up in trouble – he’ll see what is happening once the game starts. City will set up as if they’re just going to play their normal game and Arsenal have developed enough to adapt to any changes throughout the 90 minutes.”
