Two title hopefuls meet at Emirates Stadium as Arsenal look to proceed their current glorious document in opposition to rivals Manchester Metropolis. BBC Sport takes a take a look at the important thing speaking factors going into Sunday’s sport.
After a run of simply two wins in 22 Premier League matches in opposition to Metropolis, the Gunners have mastered find out how to rattle Pep Guardiola’s aspect of late, with two wins on the Emirates and two away attracts of their previous 4 encounters.
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After thrashing them 5-1 in February, Arsenal now have the prospect to safe back-to-back top-flight wins over Metropolis for the primary time since December 2015.
The Gunners continued their sturdy begin to the season with a hard-fought Champions League win at Athletic Membership on Tuesday. To spotlight their elevated squad power, 5 of their eight new summer time signings began, whereas the 2 targets got here from substitutes of the calibre of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
[BBC]
Becoming a member of them on the bench in Bilbao had been the likes of William Saliba, Christian Norgaard, Miles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri. “The ‘finishers’ are going to be extra vital this season generally than the starters,” Arteta says of the influence he hopes his substitutes can have. “We are able to change the sport there, particularly with the depth that we play and groups begin to drop off.”
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An enlarged squad naturally offers Arteta a headache of who to pick and one of many key areas he shall be eager to handle is a perceived lack of creativity in large video games. This was once more uncovered of their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool final month, throughout which they mustered only one shot on track.
Manchester Metropolis got here by means of their reunion with Kevin de Bruyne and his Napoli aspect unscathed.
The subsequent problem for Guardiola is to rectify their poor type in opposition to Arsenal.
He has by no means gone 5 video games with no top-flight league win in opposition to an opponent, whereas his protegee Arteta may additionally change into the primary supervisor to go 5 league matches unbeaten in opposition to Guardiola.
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One other factor that wants addressing is Metropolis’s type submit European fixtures.
They’ve misplaced 5 of their previous seven matches which have instantly adopted a midweek Champions League match, together with their 5-1 hammering on the Emirates final season.
Their earlier 5 such defeats came visiting a interval of 46 video games throughout 5 years.
The Gunners, who performed on Tuesday, have additionally had two days additional relaxation on Metropolis.
With 4 targets in six Premier League appearances in opposition to Arsenal, Metropolis will once more look in the direction of talisman Erling Haaland for inspiration, particularly given how effectively he has begun the season for membership and nation.
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“Erling has been unimaginable because the begin, however this season he’s higher than ever,” Guardiola mentioned final week. “I might say higher than the Treble yr [2022-23].”
Towards Napoli, he scored his fiftieth objective on his forty ninth Champions League look, reaching the milestone in not less than 13 appearances fewer than another participant within the competitors’s historical past.
[BBC]
