LONDON, Sept 19 (Askume) – Although there are only four rounds of Premier League matches remaining, Sunday’s clash between champions Manchester City and Arsenal promises to be a defining moment in the title race.
The two teams have clashed in the last two seasons, with Guardiola’s Manchester City winning twice, marking an unprecedented four-match winning streak.
The start of the new season shows no sign that anything will be different this time around, although many are predicting that Arsenal can finally break Manchester City’s grip and a positive result on Sunday would be a psychological boost.
Manchester City’s skyline darkened on Monday as an independent committee began hearing 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules – allegations the Abu Dhabi club have strenuously denied.
Despite the disruption, it was business as usual on the pitch, with City top of the table on a maximum 12 points and striker Erling Haaland already threatening to break his own record with nine goals.
Arsenal faced a crucial test against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, losing 1-0 despite being without key midfielder Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard. The win took their points tally to 10 from four games.
The opening months of last season saw Mikel Arteta’s side beat Manchester City 1-0 and draw 0-0 at the Etihad – a result which looked even better for the London club at the time.
But City won their next nine games and sealed the title by two points on the final day of the season .
Arsenal know the margin for error in the title race will once again be slim and Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City will not be the last, with a five-point deficit already looking serious.
Arsenal boost
Arteta will be boosted by the return of England international Rice after suspension on Sunday, but he will again have to be without Norwegian midfielder Odegaard because of ankle ligament damage.
Manchester City will be eager to get back to winning ways after drawing 0-0 at home against Inter Milan in their Champions League opener on Wednesday . They will also have a slight advantage as Arsenal have one less day to prepare after their Champions League clash against Atalanta on Thursday.
Manchester City defender Ruben Dias said of the highly anticipated game: “We know Arsenal very well and they know us very well, so obviously it’s going to be a very exciting game.”
“It’s early days, but it’s never too early for a fight like this. We’ll be there. We’ll be ready.”
The Premier League gets underway at the London Stadium this weekend, with West Ham United hosting Chelsea following their win over Bournemouth.
Third-placed Newcastle United will top the table for at least 24 hours if they beat Fulham on Saturday, while fifth-placed Aston Villa will have a chance to maintain their strong start as they host Midlands district rivals Wolves.
Fourth-placed Liverpool, equal on nine points with Villa, host Bournemouth looking to make amends for last week’s unexpected home defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Tottenham Hotspur avoided defeat against second-tier Coventry in the Carabao Cup with two late goals on Wednesday but discontent with the club’s start will grow further if they fail to beat Brentford at home.
Meanwhile, Everton and Southampton will be looking for their first points, with the Toffees taking on Leicester City and the Saints taking on fellow newly-promoted Ipswich Town.
