⚕️ Team news
🔴 Arsenal
Kieran Tierney should be available for selection as the Premier League, the recent reports say. Pablo Mari and Shkodran Mustafi are doubts. The German was seen in full training but the club are yet to provide an update on whether he's fit to play.
Gabriel Martinelli remains a long-term absentee though he returned to training with the ball on Friday.
🔵 Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne is ruled out. Same for Gabriel Jesus. Raheem Sterling is fit and Sergio Aguero has just returned to the squad and ready to play part in the game.
⚽ Possible Arsenal line-up
The biggest intrigue of the game is whether Arteta will start Partey on Saturday. We believe it's a 50/50 call.
On the one hand, he's our biggest addition in the transfer window. But on the other hand, he's had just one training session with the rest of the squad and needs more time to get to know the teammates and adapt to Arteta's style of play.
Tribuna.com predicts that he'll get a place on the bench and the boss will approach this game cautiously with a 3-man defence.
Leno; Tierney, Gabriel, David Luiz, Holding, Bellerin; Xhaka, Ceballos; Aubameyang, Lacazette, Pepe.
City's predicted XI (Manchester Evening News)
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Rodri, Gundogan, Foden; Torres, Sterling, Mahrez.
🧮 Stats you need to know (via BBC)
Head-to-head
- Manchester City are unbeaten in nine Premier League meetings - scoring at least twice in each of them - since a 1-2 defeat in December 2015 (W7, D2).
- Arsenal could lose seven league matches in a row against the same opponent for the first time since doing so versus Ipswich between 1974 and 1977.
- The Gunners' solitary victory in their past nine away league games against City came in January 2015.
- However, Arsenal won the most recent competitive meeting, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring both goals in an FA Cup semi-final tie in July.
Manchester City
- Manchester City's tally of four points is their lowest after three games of a season since 2010-11.
- They have only twice lost both of their opening two home fixtures in a season: 1930-31 and 1953-54.
- City could lose consecutive Premier League home matches for the first time since February 2016 under Manuel Pellegrini.
- Pep Guardiola's side will start the day in the bottom half of the table for the third time in four games this season, as many as in their previous 375 Premier League matches.
- They haven't gone three league matches without a win since a run of four in April 2017.
- Manchester City have earned 25 points from their past 10 home league games against other established top-six teams, only losing to Manchester United in December 2019.
- Kevin De Bruyne has been involved in seven goals in his last eight league starts against Arsenal, scoring five and setting up two.
- Raheem Sterling has scored an unrivalled 34 goals among Premier League players in all competitions since the start of last season.
Arsenal
- The Gunners have won eight of their past 12 Premier League games, one more than they had in their previous 28 attempts.
- Arsenal's tally of 25 points from those 12 fixtures is the joint highest in the division, along with Liverpool.
- They could win four of their opening five league matches in a season for the first time since 2013-14.
- Nonetheless, Arsenal have failed to beat another established top-six team in 28 Premier League away fixtures since a 2-0 victory over Manchester City in January 2015 (D10, L18).
- Only West Brom and Burnley have attempted fewer shots than Arsenal's 29 in the Premier League this season, but only Leicester can better the Gunners' 28% conversion rate.
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has played 450 Premier League minutes without scoring against Manchester City, his worst record against any side in England. He missed a penalty in this fixture in March 2018 but did score both goals in Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final win against City last season.
- Alexandre Lacazette could score in four consecutive league appearances for Arsenal for the first time.
🔮 Predictions
Mark Lawrenson (BBC): 1-1
"City have got striker Sergio Aguero on the way back after his long lay-off, and they need him fit and firing again. He has been training but I don't see him starting this game.
"Arsenal got a bit lucky in their win over Sheffield United last time out, but if City are missing some key players the Gunners are in with a shout."
Michael Owen (BetVictor): 3-1
"Arsenal make the visit to Manchester with their tails up. It’s been a pretty solid start from the Gunners, and they will go here with high hopes of taking something. City simply need to pick up, and back on home soil I can see Pep rallying his troops to claim the points."
Dimitar Berbatov (Metro): 0-1
"Excellent game here, much like Everton and Liverpool. Arteta is doing a good job at Arsenal, Pep has problems at City too in my opinion. I think there could be a surprise result here too, and Arsenal could topple City. City have looked vulnerable more than once this season, and Arsenal can take advantage."
📜Form
(all competitions)
🔴 Arsenal: WWWLWW
🔵 Manchester City: WWLWD
💬 Managers' quotes
🔴 Arsenal, Mikel Arteta (via Arsenal FC):
"It's Manchester City and Liverpool I think [that we seem to play a lot]. It's getting really tough, the fixtures that we have coming up in the next few weeks as well will be really difficult.
"We know the opponent we are facing. We all know the level that we have to be at individually and collectively to beat them. We haven't had much time to prepare the game because today is our first training session all together but we will try to go to Manchester to win the game.
🔵 Man City, Pep Guardiola (via MEN):
"We should clarify who is the master and who is the apprentice. We didn’t have any doubts about what he is doing in a short period of time.
"He settled really well and the way his team is playing right now is perfect for the quality they have. He was able to get Arsenal back to the position they were a long time ago.
"He’s doing really well in all competitions and Mikel is a competitor and a fighter and all the people who love him are more than happy with what he is doing in London."
