Wake up, Gunners fans, today’s the big day. Arsenal defeated Tottenham Hotspur down at N17 last weekend to return to winning ways in the Premier League, but know that this one is a test of a different nature.
Arsenal travel up north to face Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium, having claimed three wins and a draw to start their league season off on strong footing.
Mikel Arteta lost each of his first seven clashes against Pep Guardiola, but the pre-eminent manager failed to defeat his former protege home and away last year, with Arsenal winning at home before holding City to a goalless draw in the reverse.
For the champions, Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake are long-term absentees, though Kevin De Bruyne ‘could’ feature after sustaining a knock in midweek, while Rodri started for the first time against Inter Milan and Phil Foden entered after the interval as he returns to full fitness.
It won’t be easy, with Arsenal nursing a few issues of their own…
Arsenal team news
Martin Odegaard will not feature in Manchester, with the club captain and two-time Arsenal Player of the Season sidelined with an ankle sprain and not expected to return for the foreseeable future.
How to solve this problem is something that Arsenal will gain a deeper understanding of across the coming weeks, but the return of Declan Rice will be vital for this one, with the England international missing out against Spurs after picking up a contentious red card before the international break.
Summer signing Mikel Merino is joined by former City star Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney on the sidelines, but the visitors bring a strong core of available talent to the game.
Rice’s return will be one of the most important parts of the clash, though…
Declan Rice’s return could be key
Thank goodness Rice is going to return to the starting line-up. The club’s record £105m signing was controversially sent off against Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break for ‘kicking’ the ball away, but Arsenal still put Tottenham away despite Odegaard being absent too.
