Sylvester Dordzi
Title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal are set to go head to head on Wednesday in what is shaping up to be a crucial fixture in the race for the English Premier League crown. With Arsenal currently holding a five-point lead at the top of the table, the pressure is on for the Gunners to maintain their lead against a City side that has been in fine form of late.
While Arsenal has been leading the way for most of the season, it is City who now has the momentum. The Londoners’ advantage has been eroded after three successive draws while City has hit form. Pep Guardiola’s Treble-chasing side has won 11 of their past 12 games, putting their inconsistency of earlier in the season firmly behind them.
If City wins on Wednesday, it would undoubtedly give them the upper hand in the title race. With all their experience of finishing seasons strongly, the signs could be ominous for Arsenal. It does seem that Mikel Arteta’s men will need to win to have any hope of realizing their dream.
With City chasing glory in three competitions and the fixtures mounting up, Arsenal may have been hoping they would be feeling the strain. Unfortunately for the Gunners, there are few signs of it. Guardiola did cite tiredness as he made six changes for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United. But such was the ease of their 3-0 victory, with Riyad Mahrez coming into the side to score a hat-trick, it was clear there are no serious issues there. Nor does the pressure seem to be bothering them.
Arsenal, by contrast, are facing this situation for the first time and, even without the distraction of other competitions, they seem to be in need of a lift. City have a doubt over the in-form Nathan Ake but, after Phil Foden’s return at Wembley, they otherwise have a clean bill of health. In fact, from what could have been a difficult season with more World Cup call-ups than any other side, the champions have come through this campaign relatively unscathed so far.
Arsenal has had to deal with some significant injuries to key players, and the absence of William Saliba has been felt acutely. The defense has not been as solid without him over the past few weeks, and boss Mikel Arteta will be anxious for his return.
There are a number of potentially interesting stories waiting to be written. Most of City’s headlines this season have been generated by the remarkable Erling Haaland, who stands on the brink of another couple of milestones. Two more goals would not only see Haaland equal the Premier League record of 34 goals in a season but also bring his overall tally for the campaign to 50.
Key Arsenal stars Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who were both let go by City last summer, will have the chance to upset their former team-mates. Guardiola regularly heaps praise on his former assistant Arteta, but the latter has struggled to get the better of his old boss. The pair have met eight times as managers with Guardiola winning seven. Two of his successes have come this season, with City beating Arsenal 1-0 in the FA Cup at the Etihad in January and following up with a 3-1 Premier League win at the Emirates Stadium a few weeks later. Arteta’s only victory came in an FA Cup semi-finals three years ago.
In conclusion, the clash between Manchester City and Arsenal on Wednesday promises to be a fascinating encounter. With Arsenal currently holding a five-point lead at the top of the table, City will be desperate to close the gap and put the pressure back on their title rivals. Given City’s recent form, they will be favorites to come out on top, but Arsenal will be hoping to cause an upset
