In the Premier League tonight, Manchester City host Arsenal in a match that seems certain to determine who will win the title.
Arsenal are the visitors to the Etihad Stadium tonight (Wednesday) as they aim to record a Premier League victory over Manchester City for the first time since 2015.
Arsenal must invoke the spirit of 1989 to make impact, explaining why man-marking City might be the best option.
With the stakes so high, manager Mikel Arteta has faced questions over the prospect of some of his players cowering in the face of such pressure, defeat by Pep Guardiola’s men would all but end Arsenal’s hopes of a first league triumph since 2004.
After Friday’s 3-3 draw against Southampton, That result means Arsenal are now just five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City in the current Premier League standings, with Pep Guardiola’s side having the advantage given they have two games in hand on their title rivals.
To make matters even more interesting, City host the Gunners to the Etihad Stadium in what looks to be a mouthwatering potential title decider.
Mikel Arteta’s Basque childhood made him the manager he is today, and his side have drawn each of their last three Premier League fixtures, conceding seven in the process, allowing title rivals Manchester City to close the gap at the top of the table.
Some supporters have since pointed the fingers at defender Holding, who has replaced the injured William Saliba in each of Arsenal’s last five league outings.
Manchester City vs Arsenal is a Premier League fixture that has been heavily hyped up for weeks now and rightly so given the importance of tonight’s meeting.
It’s top vs second. The master in Pep Guardiola vs the apprentice in Mikel Arteta in a match that will certainly have a huge say as to whether the Gunners can call themselves champions of England for the first time in nearly two decades or City emulate Manchester United by doing a three-peat.
Now this showdown is being billed as many things. For Arsenal, it’s arguably their biggest game in recent memory whilst for Man City their hopes of winning the treble (Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League) may rest on achieving the required result at the Etihad Stadium.
Whilst those descriptions have some degree of truth, a Premier League title decider this particular fixture is not and for many reasons. One is that even if the north London outfit leave Manchester with all three points it won’t be a crowning moment at all, as pointed out by both managers.
“No, if we win tomorrow night we haven’t won, for sure,” Arteta said in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday morning when asked if Man City vs Arsenal was winner take all. “It would shift the percentage a little bit but five games in this league with the games we still have to play it’s very tricky still.”
