Arsenal at Manchester City preview: Break the Cycle

Today at 11:30 AM

Arsenal wrap up a lengthy road trip away to the current title holders looking to end their home unbeaten streak

It's not often that the beginning of the season feels quite so "mid-season," but for Arsenal, that is the unfortunate case. The Gunners are in the midst of a thick schedule of tough away fixtures, facing their 3rd in a row and their 4th in their last 5 matches with a massive trip to the Etihad to face title-holders Manchester City.

Compounding the match is the short turnaround. Arsenal played an exhausting Champions League match in Italy on Thursday before heading to Manchester for a match on Sunday, while the hosts played at home on Wednesday, giving them zero travel and one more day of rest and prep. And all of this is happening without the availability of club captain and creative outlet Martin Ødegaard.

But what's a major match for the Gunners without a few extra roadblocks in the way?

Here are five talking points ahead of Sunday's match:

Know the Enemy

Another season, another relentless, well-oiled winning machine. Erling Haaland is sprinting away with the Golden Boot after amassing 9 in the first 4 matches, and City stand alone as the only club with a perfect winning record in the Premier League.

City are possibly the only club where their transfer business is a mere formality. With one of the league (and world's) most well-rounded rosters, they no longer need the major signings to bolster their squad, and their summer reflected that. The addition of Brazilian starlet Savinho gave them yet another pacey wide player, while they brought midfielder Ilkay Gundogan back after a season at Barcelona.

City's only hiccup came on Wednesday, when they played Inter Milan to a 0-0 stalemate in the Champions League. Beyond that, City are once again the out and out favorites to win the league, especially considering Arsenal's gaping Martin Ødegaard-shaped hole in the roster.

But their biggest hiccup they could face might not even occur on the pitch. City are in the midst of one of the biggest sports-related court cases in history, as the 115 charges of financial impropriety they have been accused of are currently being dealt with in court and are projected to be resolved in early 2025. As the trial proceeds and coverage picks up, there's no telling what, if any, affect it will have on the club's focus, but it stands to reason that it could shape up to be a huge distractor for a club in the midst of vying for a 5th straight Premier League title.

Last Time Out

If doctors were ever in search for a cure for insomnia, they could start with Arsenal's last trip to the Etihad, when the two sides played to an uneventful 0-0 draw. Coming out of an international break, the Gunners sat deep and allowed the hosts to possess the ball for nearly 75% of the match, with neither team doing much offensively, as Arsenal registered 2 shots on target to City's 1.

Worse than the match itself was the narrative around it, with people quick to accuse Arsenal of cowardice and "terroristball" for doing what Jose Mourinho used to be lauded for: sitting deep for a majority of the match, picking their opportunities, and attempting to catch the opposition on the counter.

And who could blame Mikel? Considering that City hadn't (and still haven't) lost at the Etihad since 2022 and it was the first match after a two week international break, the Gunners did the prudent thing and played it safe instead of opening themselves up to a City onslaught. A draw at the Etihad was one more point than the Gunners had amassed there in nearly a decade, but it was far from the title-deciding match people made it out to be, especially since Arsenal took 4 points from a possible 6 from City last season.

Injuries & Suspensions

Arsenal received the news it had been dreading, when it was confirmed that Martin Odegaard would be out for at least 8 weeks as he sustained ligament damage to his ankle when he was injured during international duty.

On the inverse, it looks as though City will once again be without the services of Kevin De Bruyne, who sustained a muscle injury during City's Tuesday night Champions League match against Inter Milan that should rule him out of Sunday's match.

Mikel Arteta announced in his press conference that there were no further changes to the injury list. Mikel Merino, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, and Tierney all remain unavailable.

Lineup

After a quick turnaround, Mikel Arteta has the tough task of getting his team prepared for one of the season's most difficult fixtures.

This match could very well be the City Revenge lineup in the attack. Gabriel Jesus started on Thursday and looks ready to lead the line. The big gamble I think can come in starting former City man Raheem Sterling, who has had a few weeks to bed himself into the Arsenal side. He knows City better than just about anyone on the roster and I think could do a shift at the left wing with Gabriel Martinelli off the mark in recent matches. Trossard could easily start, but I think he is best suited in this match coming off the bench and putting in another super-sub performance.

In the midfield, I would think that Arteta will look to jam up City and keep them from playing through the middle of the pitch, especially in the absence of KDB. Havertz is more than capable of putting in a gritty shift on both sides of the ball. After 5 consecutive starts, Partey should probably rest before his quads explode for the season, so Jorginho should slot in at the 6 for more control. Rice comes back into the side after serving his match ban against Spurs.

The back 4 is set. While Riccardo Calafiori is back and available, I think it's a big gamble to roll him out at City for his first league start. Much like Trossard, I think he can come in late to add a new wrinkle.

Boring, Boring Arsenal

Not to surprise anyone, but there is zero reason to expect Arsenal to play on the front foot for much of the match. The absence of Odegaard has been palpable in the last two matches, especially against an Atalanta side that pressed to no end. The season is a marathon, and sometimes, you have to slow your pace and play it smart.

The perpetually-online commentariat have already spun the narrative before the match has begun because nothing generates engagement like "hot" takes. It would almost be hilarious if it wasn't so obnoxiously omnipresent. While I could dive into that matter for several scathing paragraphs, the truth of the matter is that Arteta will do what he knows is best to get the best possible outcome from the match, be it 1 point or all 3, commentary and "narrative" be damned.

Arsenal were unjustly slated for their performance in this fixture last season, which has been brought back up as the match nears. We've all probably seen the Rodri clip making its rounds about Arsenal playing for the draw and how they lacked the right mentality.

Arteta, though, is smart enough to not take the bait. Plenty of people want to see Arsenal play open, not because they like attacking football, but because they want to see Arsenal fail in spectacular fashion. They want to point, laugh, and feel better about the state of their respective clubs. The fastest way to do that is play into City's hands.

Two seasons ago, Arsenal came to the Etihad and were summarily humbled after playing too open. Last season, they gave little and got little. Can Arteta and co find the proper balance this time to finally end City's home unbeaten streak?

WHO: Arsenal at Manchester City
WHAT: Premier League matchday 5
WHEN: Sunday, September 22nd, 11:30am EST/8:30am PST/4:30pm GMT
WHERE: The Etihad, Manchester
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast live on The USA Network. Streaming on NBCSports.com

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