Manchester City vs Arsenal Match Preview: Classic Encounter, Team News, Predictions and More

Sunday serves up a very tasty looking clash between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola's side are being raved about by everybody, and are leading the way at the summit of the Premier League with nine wins from 10. The Citizens have swept aside everybody bar Everton so far this season and confidence appears to be coursing through every single player.

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They are five points clear of neighbours Manchester United, and will definitely be eyeing three points against an Arsenal side who have had an indifferent start to the new season.

They may have won back-to-back league matches, but the Gunners are fifth in the division having been beaten three times already.

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They are yet to really hit the ground running in the Premier League, and couldn't ask for tougher opponents at this moment in time to keep their recent momentum going.

It will be interesting to see if the midweek European action for both sides plays a part, with City having had to travel to Naples and the Gunners at home to Red Star Belgrade.

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The form guide is one thing to go off, but looking at the head-to-head stats, it's a very tricky one to call. The past few years have thrown up Manchester City wins, Arsenal wins and draws in fairly equal measure - at the Etihad, the last three matches have ended in a City win (2-1, 2016), a draw (2-2, 2016) and an Arsenal win (0-2, 2015). One thing looks certain though, there's going to be goals.

Classic Encounter

Manchester City 6-3 Arsenal (December 2013)

One of the most entertaining games in Premier League history saw City come out on top in a nine-goal thriller a few years ago.

Arsenal, leading the way in the Premier League after 15 games, were feeling confident ahead of the game but were quickly left licking their wounds as City demolished them in the second half after goals from a 2-1 half-time scoreline - goals which came from Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo and Theo Walcott.

Fernandinho struck to open a 3-1 lead before another goal from Walcott gave Arsenal hope. David Silva gave Wojciech Szczesny no chance converting Jesus navas' cross, and Fernandinho struck again as the game neared its end.

There was enough time for two more goals as Per Mertesacker pulled another back with a header for Arsenal, but City cancelled that out via a Yaya Toure penalty.

Team News

Manchester City

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Pep Guardiola only has two injury absentees for the game - defensive duo Vincent Kompany and Benjamin Mendy. The Frenchman's recovery is seemingly going quite well after a video clip detailed him doing kick-ups using his injured knee only.

Arsenal

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The Gunners are sweating on the fitness of Sead Kolasinac for the game. Arsene Wenger left him out against Red Star Belgrade to recover from a minor hip injury. David Ospina is unavailable with a groin strain, as is Danny Welbeck. Shkodran Mustafi hasn't yet recovered from a thigh injury sustained for Germany. Santi Cazorla remains a long term absentee.

Predicted Line Ups

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson/Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph/Fernandinho, De Bruyne, D.Silva/Sterling, Aguero, Sane.

Arsenal (3-4-2-1): Cech/Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal/Bellerin, Elneny, Xhaka, Kolasinac/Ozil, Sanchez/ Lacazette.

Prediction

Manchester City look imperious but Arsenal are getting into their stride now, with the recent Watford result a blip. Arsene Wenger's side haven't done too badly over the years at the Etihad and could rain on City's parade on Sunday, especially after showing good team spirit last weekend to come back to win against Swansea.

2-2 draw.

Using social betting app BetBull, I'm going to be putting my money where my mouth is and competing against other contributors here at 90min to see who can take home the most money and declare themselves the betting king. Over the next few week's I'll be constructing a number of accumulators featuring my own team, Manchester City, in league matches, offering my own insight and opinions for my choices along the way. 

With the exception of their famous 6-3 Etihad demolition back in 2013, Arsenal tend to do OK against City in the Premier League. There have been a mixed bag of results over the past few years but only ever a couple of goals maximum to separate the two sides. City are obviously going very well right now, but the Gunners have started to find their rhythm after a rocky start. It's always a difficult game to call, and both sides are in action in Europe in midweek, so my head tells me to plump for the draw.

Stoke and Leicester were both victorious last time out and will be keen to keep some momentum going, which compels me to go for the draw.

Newcastle host Bournemouth and were uninspiring against Burnley on Monday. The Cherries need a result, and I can see them targeting this game as potential to improve. I'll plump for the draw.

Huddersfield have been going pretty steadily since their promotion, and I'm predicting them to bounce back from defeat to Liverpool by beating West Brom at home - the Baggies are on a poor run at present with no wins since beating Accrington Stanley in the Carabao Cup on August 22.

Download the BetBull app and follow me @Tom.90min to see how I get on!

I'm teaming up with social betting app BetBull to test my prediction skills and face off against fellow contributors here at 90min to see who can win the most. For the next few weeks I’ll be putting an accumulator on each week, predicting results from 4 or 5 Arsenal league games and giving you my insights and opinions to explain my choices.

The Gunners face the daunting prospect of a trip to the Etihad on Sunday, and while I would prefer to optimistically back the visitors to earn a draw, it's very difficult to look past a Manchester City win. Pep Guardiola's side have been imperious so far this season, scoring at a prolific rate and mercilessly dominating most of their opposition. Unfortunately, Arsenal - and pretty much everyone else in the Premier League - are some way behind City. Betting against them would be unwise, so I'll be putting my money on the hosts.

I'll also be backing Bayern Munich to win in Saturday's crucial Bundesliga clash at Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid to secure a vital three points against Deportivo La Coruna. Back in the Premier League, I'm betting on Newcastle to continue their impressive home form with a win against Bournemouth, while in Italy I'm backing Napoli to win at Chievo.

Download the BetBull app and follow me @Callum.90min to see how I get on!