Manchester City-Arsenal is a match valid for the thirty-third day of the Premier League and is played on Wednesday at 9 pm: TV, predictions.
All in one night, like a cup final. There are still six matches to be played – net of various recoveries – but on Wednesday night, after the triple whistle of the big match at Etihad Stadium, we will finally understand whether the 2022-23 Premier League will head in the direction of Manchester or London.
Third consecutive Manchester City title or Arsenal’s first after a 20-year wait? The highly anticipated direct clash between Pep Guardiola’s men and those led by his former pupil Mikel Arteta will be revealing. The current standings see the Gunners firmly in the lead on 75 points, chased by the English champions who have five fewer, 70. But it is the asterisks next to the Citizens that steal the eye. Yes, because Manchester City still has two games to make up and potentially, if they win them both (West Ham and Brighton), they would be one point above Arsenal, which at this point absolutely cannot afford to lose to its direct competitor. According to bookmakers, Guardiola’s team is again the big favorite after the Londoners’ three draws in a row, stopped by Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton in the last few days. Missteps that have always been taken advantage of by the voracious City, which since February knows only how to win if we exclude last week’s draw in the Champions League against Bayern Munich, already scrambled 3-0 in the first leg and therefore absolutely irrelevant.
A match that can decide the season
The Citizens have not halted their run since their last defeat – dating back almost three months – and now go in the hunt for those three crucial points to become masters of their own destiny for the first time since last fall.
Haaland and Partey
Drawn by the goals of the resounding Haaland – 31 league goals for the Norwegian striker who is breaking record after record – De Bruyne and his teammates have just won the FA Cup final by overwhelming Sheffield United 3-0 and can still win be three trophies. In the Champions League, after eliminating Bayern Munich, they are about to face reigning European champions Real Madrid in a rematch of last season’s semifinal. Treble dream intact, then, for the Catalan coach, who is eager to take back the top spot in the standings before focusing on the Blancos. Should they win against the Gunners, the road would be downhill if we take into account that there are no impossible challenges on the calendar between now and June 3. Arsenal, on the other hand, is in danger of being left empty-handed after long cherishing the chance to take the throne of England for the first time since 2004. Worrisome was their latest performance against bottom-of-the-table Southampton. Which, had it not been for goals by Odegaard and Saka just before the final whistle, would have returned from London with three very heavy points (3-3).
Guardiola will field the typical lineup: the only exception is the presence of Laporte in defense, in place of the injured Aké. Three unavailable instead for Arteta, Elneny, Saliba and Tomiyasu, but the Basque hopes to recover his captain, Xhaka, who was absent against the Saints.
The Prediction
Arsenal may have lost the title train for good. And it seems to have no chance against a team that hasn’t lost in 16 games and is back in steamroller form again. The two previous season’s fixtures between the league and FA Cup moreover have both been the prerogative of the Citizens, who have always got the better of the Gunners in the last seven direct clashes. Guardiola’s team is favored and should prevail again this time in a match of at least three goals total.
The probable lineups of Manchester City-Arsenal
- MANCHESTER CITY (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Akanji, Ruben Dias, Laporte; Stones, Rodri; Mahrez, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland.
- ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Gabriel Jesus.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-1
