New Delhi: It is a battle between the top two teams of the previous season as Manchester City hosts Arsenal in Premier League 2024-25 at the Etihad stadium. The final clash of Match day five will see the two teams return to the top tier of English football after goalless draws in the UEFA Champions League.
In one of the most highly anticipated matches of the Champions League’s match day one, City and Inter Milan were not expected to playout a stalemate. Despite having Rodri and the in form Erling Haaland, they never were able to break Milan’s defences. City were reckless for most part of the game and missed chances, with Ilkay Gundogan missing an easy header.
Though Pep Guardiola’s men haven’t made the perfect start in the Champions League, they have won every game of the Premier League so far. In their last outing against Brentford, Haaland ensured a comeback after City conceded in the first minute. He has been the fulcrum to every win for City, having scored nine goals from four games.
The Citzen’s have now got a streak of winning 13 matches in the Premier League. If they win on Sunday, they will become the first team to win opening five matches of a season in five different seasons. However they face a team who were one of the three sides that won against City last season.
Just like City, Arsenal were involved in a goalless draw with their Italian counterparts, Atlanta BC, to open their Champions League campaign. Arsenal’s defence was at its best as David Raya ensured that Mateo Retegui’s penalty was denied, as was the rebound. It ensured the Gunners left Bergamo with a single point.
However, without their skipper Martin Odegaard, Arsenal never looked like they were going to push a score. The Gunners were almost set to head for a stalemate with Tottenham Hotspur in last weekend’s Premier League outing until Gabriel Magalhaes grabbed the opportunity to put them ahead.
Arsenal are now looking at making a Premier League record of becoming the first team not to fall behind in 12 consecutive road games in this competition. Mikel Arteta’s side were brilliant last time around at the Etihad Stadium, winning the duel 0-1. It was the first time since 2015 that Arsenal had won at the venue, and now they would look to continue this form.
Team News
City’s camp has some concerning news after their best chance creator, Kevin De Bruyne, suffered a groin injury in the Champions League. Though Guardiola didn’t rule him out, there is a chance De Bruyne will be on the sidelines for a while. However, Phil Foden is completely fit to feature in the wings and could make his first start of the season in the Belgian captain’s absence.
Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb are also still on the sidelines, while Kyle Walker could expect to make a comeback to the side along with Foden to keep Arsenal’s left wing unproductive.
Arsenal’s skipper, Martin Odegaard will be the most important player missing from the squad. Odegaard will be watching the game from sidelines along with Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney. However, Riccardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka, both featured against Atlanta, overcoming knocks, with Declan Rice also returning from his ban.
With neither Gabriel Jesus nor Martinelli available, Raheem Sterling will hope to make his first start for Arsenal in his former home ground. However, he may lose out to the more favoured Leandro Trossard.
Predicted lineups
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Rodri; Savinho, Silva, Foden; Haaland
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Havertz, Partey, Rice; Saka, Jesus, Trossard
When, where, and how to watch the Manchester City vs Arsenal match in India?
Fans in India can catch the Crystal Palace vs Manchester United match live on the Star Sports network. The game will also be available for live streaming on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. The match is scheduled to kick off at 9:00 pm IST on Saturday, September 22.
Early Predictions
Both Manchester City and Arsenal have been in touch this season and are confident they can re-enact the previous season’s point table standings. The two sides are wary of each other’s strengths, and a draw of 2-2 could be the result that won’t surprise many.
The previous season Premier League winners meet its runners-up as Manchester City host Arsenal at the Etihad stadium. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
