Manchester City v Arsenal LIVE: Team news and line-ups before Premier League showdown
Folllow all the action from the Etihad Stadium as Arsenal travel to Manchester City in the Premier League
Manchester City pipped Arsenal to the last two successive Premier League titles, in a race that last season went down to the final match.
Mikel Arteta’s side will be hoping to go one better this campaign, and they remain unbeaten in the league so far, having won three and drawn one, while City have enjoyed a flawless start to their season, winning all four of their opening four matches.
However, behind the scenes City are embroiled in a legal case with the Premier League and are facing between 115 and 130 charges for alleged breaches of the league’s financial rules. The club have strongly denied all charges, but the match comes one week into the expected 10-week hearing.
On the pitch however, Arsenal have already had their share of injuries with captain Martin Odegaard not expected to be fit enough to feature against City, which will be a blow to their chances.
Follow all the live action in the blog below.
Manchester City vs Arsenal
Manchester City host Arsenal in an early meeting of last season’s Premier League title rivals.
City won their fourth consecutive Premier League last campaign but were pushed all the way by the Gunners, who finished just two points behind Pep Guaridola’s side.
Mikel Arteta’s team are looking to go one step better this season and know the head-to-heads could be decisive, even at this very early stage of the title race.
Arsenal held the champions to a 0-0 draw on their last visit to the Etihad, but are winless in their last nine trips to Manchester City - a run that stretches back to 2015.
With City two points clear having won their opening four league games of the season, the hosts have a chance to open up a five-point lead at the top by extending their winning run.
Guardiola on Sterling
The City manager faces a reunion with his old assistant, Mikel Arteta, and with Raheem Sterling, who joined Arsenal on deadline day.
Guardiola said he was surprised to see the winger move on loan from Chelsea but felt Arteta had the same reaction after thinking a deal for Sterling was impossible.
The England international was named Footballer of the Year during his time at City, scoring 120 goals for Guardiola.
And the City manager said: “I wish him all the best. All the players that behaved well in this club, helped us to be who we are, where we are. We cannot understand the first years in my tenure at Manchester City without Raheem. He has been so important. I wish him all the best. Of course, I would prefer he doesn’t perform well on Sunday.”
Pep Guardiola issues Kevin De Bruyne injury update ahead of Arsenal clash
Kevin de Bruyne will face a late fitness test as Manchester City wait to see if he will be fit to face Arsenal on Sunday.
The midfielder went off at half-time in Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Inter Milan with a hamstring problem and while he is making progress, manager Pep Guardiola is not sure if he will be available.
De Bruyne has started all four Premier League games this season for City and was pivotal in their last two wins over Arsenal, scoring three times in the victories that helped decide the title in the 2022-23 season.
And Guardiola said: “He feels a little bit better today but we have not yet had training and we will see. He could be [involved].”
Martin Odegaard latest injury update
Arsenal will again be without captain Martin Odegaard, who will be sidelined for the foreseeable future with the ankle injury he suffered on international duty with Norway.
Saka admits the midfielder’s absence is a major loss, but is backing the Gunners to find a way to cope without him.
“Yeah, you know how much I love Martin,” added the 23-year-old.
“He is a world-class player and we are going to miss him.
“We have to adapt. We have strength and players who can also play in his position. We will find a solution until he is back.”
Bukayo Saka adamant Arsenal are going to Manchester City to win
England winger Saka says they do not listen to the snipers, insisting: “To be honest, I don’t really care.
“We know what we believed, we know what we went there to achieve. Only we know the real truth. We went there to win and we are going to do that again this Sunday.”
Bukayo Saka adamant Arsenal are going to Manchester City to win
Bukayo Saka insists Arsenal will be gunning for victory in Sunday’s blockbuster showdown with Manchester City.
The north Londoners received criticism in some quarters for their defensive approach in last season’s 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
It was a result which ultimately proved costly as the Gunners went on to miss out on the Premier League title to City by two points.
Mikel Arteta’s side were not exactly gung-ho on the attack in their midweek goalless draw at Atalanta in their Champions League opener, either
Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City clash with Arsenal is not title decider
City held off Mikel Arteta’s side to win the title by just two points after the race went down to the final game last season.
Yet Guardiola does not even plan to mention the impact a potential victory would have on the league table to his players.
He said: “Why should I tell them when they know? They see the table, they know it. It’s not a motivation to win for five points after five fixtures.
“Just do a good game, do what you have to do.”
City have begun their latest title defence with four wins from four, while Arsenal have collected 10 points.
Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City clash with Arsenal is not title decider
Guardiola said: “At an early stage of the season, it is nothing more than the mood for the next games.
“In terms of the table it isn’t very important. It will be important when we go to London in the second part of the season.
“It is so important but in terms of winning or losing the Premier League it’s not. After five games that’s never important.
“But if we don’t think Arsenal, with the quality they have, is important we will be wrong.”
Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City clash with Arsenal is not title decider
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is not viewing Sunday’s clash with Arsenal as the chance to lay down an early marker in the title race.
The champions have the chance to open up a five-point lead over the Gunners, their closest challengers in the past two seasons, with victory in their Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium.
Yet Guardiola feels it is too soon to be drawing any long-term conclusions from the game and is more concerned about setting the tone for City’s campaign.
Man City, Arsenal and the key change to modern-day Premier League title fights
Fresh from a midweek 0-0 draw apiece comes a clash of two clubs whose last meeting finished goalless. It wasn’t always the case when Manchester City faced Arsenal. The problem for the Londoners, however, was that Pep Guardiola’s team scored the vast majority of the goals. Two seasons ago, matches that shaped the title race finished 3-0 and 4-1 to City. Last season, however, matches billed as title deciders ended 1-0 to Arsenal and 0-0. City nevertheless retained their crown.
But if Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool leaves Mikel Arteta entrenched as Guardiola’s biggest remaining rival, there may have been a transformation in the showpiece occasions. They have been stripped of some of the excitement. Klopp’s duel with Guardiola was compelling in part because it contained so many goals: they were more likely to draw 2-2 than 0-0 and spectacular scorelines included 5-0, 4-0, 4-1, 4-3 and 3-2. Some came with Arteta by Guardiola’s side; now they are in neighbouring dugouts and opposing camps. Allies turned adversaries, the purists have started to show a puritanical streak.
Man City, Arsenal and the key change to modern-day Premier League title fights
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta no longer focus on attack-first approaches when they meet
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