Arsenal resume their Premier League campaign with a blockbuster fixture against Manchester City, with the Emirates Stadium playing host on Sunday. Both teams picked up 2-0 wins in their midweek UEFA Champions League fixtures, with Arsenal winning away at Athletic Club, while City defeated 10-man Napoli at home.
However, Mikel Arteta's side have had an extra 48 hours of rest having played on Tuesday night which might prove crucial against Pep Guardiola's side come Sunday. Despite a long injury list, Arteta's squad depth after a summer of spending has greatly improved, and it was on display against Bilbao, with substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard combining for both goals.
Guardiola also has a lengthy injury list to deal with, although John Stones and Rayan Ait-Nouri could be in contention for the Arsenal game having missed the win over Napoli. City didn't have to exert themselves too much, with Napoli going down to ten men after 21 minutes, and goals from Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland in the second half sealing the win.
Following the 3-0 victory in the Manchester derby, City appear back to their best following an unimpressive start to the season that included losses to Tottenham and Brighton. As for Arsenal, the loss to Liverpool remains their only blip, and also the only goal they've conceded this season, with 11 unanswered goals resulting in four wins from five in all competitions.
Arsenal and City played two very contentious games last season -- a 2-2 draw at the Etihad that included an injury-time equaliser from Stones and a 5-1 demolition of City at the Emirates in the return fixture. There is no love lost between either squad, who will be keen on bragging rights apart from not losing ground in the title race.
Here is everything you need to know:
How to watch:
The match will be available on Sky Sports in the UK, Peacock in the U.S., JioHotstar in India, Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Date: Sunday, September 21 at 4.30 p.m. BST (11.30 a.m. ET; 9 p.m. IST and 1.30 a.m. AEST, Monday).
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London.
Referee: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Jared Gillett
Team News:
Arsenal
Kai Havertz, F: knee, OUT, est. return mid Oct
Gabriel Jesus, F: ACL, OUT, est. return late Dec
Martin Ødegaard, M: shoulder, DOUBT
Bukayo Saka, F: hamstring, OUT, est. return early Oct
Ben White, D: knock, DOUBT
Manchester City
Mateo Kovacic, M: achilles tendon, OUT, est. return early Oct
Omar Marmoush, F: knee, OUT, est. return early Oct
Rayan Cherki, M: thigh, OUT, est. return early Nov
Rayan Ait-Nouri, D: ankle, DOUBT
John Stones, D: knock, DOUBT
Expected Lineups:
Arsenal (4-3-3)
GK: David Raya
RB: Jurriën Timber | CB: William Saliba | CB: Gabriel Magalhães | LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly
CM: Declan Rice | CM: Martín Zubimendi | CM: Mikel Merino
RW: Noni Madueke | CF: Viktor Gyökeres | LW: Eberechi Eze
Manchester City (4-3-3)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma
RB: Rico Lewis | CB: Ruben Dias | CB: Josko Gvardiol | LB: Nathan Ake
CM: Tijjani Reijnders | CDM: Rodri CM: Bernardo Silva
RW: Phil Foden | CF: Erling Haaland | LW: Jeremy Doku
Stats:
Mikel Arteta could become the first manager ever to go five consecutive games unbeaten against Pep Guardiola, with Man City winless in their last four games against Arsenal (0-2-2, W-D-L).
City have lost five of their last seven Premier League games following a midweek European fixture (including the 1-5 loss to Arsenal last season).
Arsenal have not beaten City in back-to-back games since December 2015. The two wins Arsenal have managed in their last four games against City are matched by two wins in the 22 games beforehand.
Arsenal are yet to concede a goal at home this season, while also being top-scorers alongside Liverpool and Chelsea.
City have the most xG in the league this season (8.5), while Arsenal have conceded the second-least (2.4).
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