Round three of the English Premier League season will be played this weekend with matches on Saturday and Sunday. The curtain goes up at the Etihad Stadium where home team and defending champions Manchester City play host to the struggling Arsenal and their under-fire manager Mikel Arteta. With both teams needing all three points for very different reasons, this promises to provide armchair fans with a thrilling 90 minutes of action from 12:30 GMT.
The locals haven’t enjoyed the kind of strong start that was expected of them, and Man City start the game in midtable with just three points collected from the first six that was available to them. That isn’t ideal, but it is three points more than the visitors have managed so far, with Arsenal suffering back-to-back defeats, heaping pressure on Arteta and his misfiring squad. A reaction from the visiting players is required here if they are to keep the fans onside.
The Cityzens and the Gunners faced three times last season, with Man City enjoying a 100% record. Pep Guardiola’s men secured a 1-0 home win in October before bagging a 4-1 victory in London on EFL Cup duty. They finished off the rout with a simple but impressive 1-0 at the Emirates earlier this year, with the winning goal scored by Raheem Sterling inside two minutes. Arsenal’s last win over Man City came in the FA Cup in July 2020.
Win would send the hosts top
Manchester City start the weekend down in ninth place with three points gained from the first six available to them. The champions suffered a setback at the earliest opportunity when losing 1-0 at Tottenham in London. All the pre-match news had centred on the future of England and Spurs striker Harry Kane, with Man City interested in taking him to the Etihad Stadium. Kane was left out of that match, but Tottenham didn’t need him, shocking the formbook to get off to a winning start. Man City had to dust themselves off.
They did so and got the win at the second time of asking when marking their home debut with victory over Norwich City. They did it in some style, hammering the Canaries 5-0 on a day when the top players finally got going. Grealish scored his first goal for the club following his £100m move from Aston Villa in pre-season, and fans expect big things from the young Englishman. The other scorers that day were Laporte, Sterling and Mahrez.
That result would have done wonders for team morale, but the squad know they must build on it. Losing the first game means the team are playing catch-up on the front runners early, but a win here could send Man City to the top of the table, at least for a few hours. That at the home support will be the driving force this week at training.
Shot shy Gunners
Arsenal fans had hoped against all hope that this was the season their club would return to challenge for the Premier League title. Supporters now back inside the stadium following a near year locked out due to coronavirus restrictions demand a top-four finish is the least Mikel Arteta and his men achieve. They want to see the club back challenging, and they want to see Champion League football back at the Emirates, Arsenal rubbing shoulders with UEFA’s elite team after an extended absence.
That is still a possibility for Arsenal, but they got off to a dreadful start when losing each of their first two games. The fixture list has been tough on the team, and they opened against newly-promoted Brentford. That was a London derby Arsenal were expected to win but were beaten 2-0 and deservedly so after passing up a host of good goalscoring chances. Things didn’t improve on matchday two with Chelsea winning 2-0 at the Emirates with the goals scored by Lukaku and James. Arteta is now in deep trouble, and we could see him lose his job if his men let him down again here.
Many fans want to see the back of Arteta and were never too keen on appointing an inexperienced boss in the first place. Mikel was assistant to Pep Guardiola at City, and this is a bit of a homecoming for him. Will the student defeat his master, or will we see Pep drive another nail into the coffin of his former apprentice’s career.
Man City v Arsenal prediction
Manchester City enjoy the home-field advantage for this game and bring the slightly better form following last week’s impressive win. Two wins from their first three games would help nudge the champions’ title challenge back on track. The Cityzens have the skill and confidence to get the job done here, and fans will expect them to do just that.
Arsenal may be down in the dumps, but they are a wounded animal, and that makes them dangerous. The visiting players are out to prove they are good enough to remain at this club long term and know the best way to do that would be to beat the champions of England. It would be foolish for the locals to take their opponents lightly.
The opening goal in this match is crucial, and if Man City get it early enough, they could go on to record another comfortable win with plenty of goals scored, heaping pressure on their opponents. Arsenal must improve defensively. The longer this match remains level, the more anxious the home fans will become and the more chance Arsenal have of winning. Two of the last three games involving these teams has seen Man City win 1-0. The Gunners must hold their competition throughout this match if they are to have any chance of getting at least a share of the points out of this game.
Premier League odds
The pre-match betting on this match available at 22bet has Man City priced at 1.225 to win with Arsenal available at 13 and the draw 6.2.
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