Manchester City vs Arsenal preview, team news, tickets and prediction

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Manchester City and Arsenal lock horns in the Premier League on match day 5 of the 2024-25 season. The two teams have been contending for the league title in the past two seasons and they are the favourites to go for it again this campaign.

As of the time of writing, the champions have not made a lot of changes to their squad, so it is expected that almost the same squad that played the last time the two teams met here in the 2023-24 title race will be featured in this game again. Similarly, the Gunners have not had so many new faces as well, therefore, it is largely the same set of players from the last meeting.

The Citizens are aiming to become the first side to win the Premier League five times in a row and the Gunners are one of the sides in the division trying to stop them from achieving that. Pep Guardiola’s men have dominated the Premier League beyond reasonable doubt and it will take a lot of work to dethrone them.

As of the time of writing, Manchester City have only signed Savinho from French club Troyes. The youngster did not make any appearances for them as he made his breakthrough at Girona while on loan last season. He finished the campaign with 11 goals and 10 assists to help the Spanish side reach the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their 94-year history. With his move to the Premier League, the 20-year-old became the first player to climb to the top of the City Football Group pyramid.

Guardiola has snapped up a fine winger who can do a lot of damage and will be keen to ease him gradually into the English game. Some players who were away on loan last season have returned to the club and it is expected some would have even left before this game is played in September. In terms of departures, the likes of Tommy Doyle and Sergio Gomez have left the club for Southampton and Real Sociedad respectively. 

On the other hand, Arsenal had a title challenge last season before falling at the final hurdle to Manchester City. After that strong performance for the second season in a row, the Gunners are expected to address some key areas in the squad, however, not much has been done with only the permanent purchase of goalkeeper David Raya being the biggest news as of the time of writing. 

Meanwhile, Jurrien Timber’s return to fitness is a huge boost for Mikel Arteta and the Dutchman is expected to play a key role in his side’s season. Meanwhile, Egypt international midfielder Mohammed Elneny has left the club – a true servant of the London club.

In addition, there is still plenty of time for out-of-favour players to find their bearing before the end of the transfer window. With that known, it is still clear that most of the players who featured excellently last season will be available for the trip to Manchester.

The Gunners and the Citizens have been close rivals in recent seasons and their first season of the 2024-25 campaign could shape a lot of conversations depending on its outcome, 

The last meeting at the Etihad ended goalless, while the reverse fixture ended in a 1-0 win to the Gunners. It goes to show how cagey this fixture has been in recent times. The fixture might be coming quite early in the season but that should not stop the fans from enjoying an entertaining contest.

Match tickets

This highly anticipated match at Etihad Stadium in Manchester kicks off on Sunday 22nd September 2024, at 4:30 PM UK time. 

The magnificent 53,400-capacity stadium is the place to be for this clash between the defending champions and their title rivals in the past two Premier League seasons.

Getting Manchester City v Arsenal tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels. 

Team news

Line-ups

Manchester City could be without talisman Kevin De Bruyne who has been linked with a move from the club as of the time of writing. Goalkeeper Ederson, who was heavily linked with a move away, should start in goal, while Manuel Akanji, John Stones, and Erling Haaland are all expected to feature in this game if they are fit and available. New arrival as of the time of writing, Savinho might be available to have his first taste of the clash between the big two.

Manchester City XI: Ederson; Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Rodrigo, Julian Alvarez, De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden.

Coach Mikel Arteta left the Etihad Stadium with a point last time and he will be hoping to do the same thing or something better. Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey, and Dutch defender Jurrien Timber could make an impact in this game. 

Arsenal: David Raya; Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel, William Saliba, Ben White; Kai Havertz,  Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard; Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka.

Prediction

The season is still quite fresh and not many would have predicted this fixture to be one of the big games at this stage of the season. Nevertheless, this match is expected to be fireworks in terms of performance and quality on display.

The Gunners have not lost to Manchester City in their past three meetings and Areta will be confident his boys can walk away with all three points on enemy territory. 

Regardless, Manchester City are favourites and they will be confident in their approach for this game. The defending champions have a slight edge by their imperious home record against the Gunners and that might be the reason they will take all three points.

Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal

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