'That is incredible': Chris Sutton stunned by what Arsenal have done ahead of Man City clash
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Manchester City and Arsenal will lock horns in one of the biggest fixtures in the Premier League calendar on Sunday.
Over the past two seasons, the Citizens and the Gunners have battled for the title, and the same will be expected from both clubs in 2024/25.
Man City have been dominant in recent years, winning the last four titles and six of the last seven, with Liverpool breaking the sequence in 2020.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have finished second over the past two years, and took the title race to the final day of the 2023/24 campaign.
Pep Guardiola’s side and Mikel Arteta’s charges have also begun this season well, the former winning all four league games so far and the latter picking up 10 points from 12.
The spotlight will be on the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon and pundit predictions have been coming in thick and fast.
Chris Sutton, BBC Sport’s resident prediction pundit, has now given his thoughts on how Man City and Arsenal could fare in this clash of the titans.
Chris Sutton backs Man City to run out 2-1 winners over Arsenal
Sutton, writing on BBC Sport, admitted that he doesn’t like backing against Arsenal, because their defence is so solid, and they have enjoyed a superb run on the road.
However, Sutton also acknowledged that City could be looking for a reaction after their stalemate at Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, and predicted a 2-1 home win.
“I don’t like to back against Arsenal because, defensively, they are so strong,” wrote Sutton.
“They have also won all but one of their 11 away Premier League games in 2024 – the exception being that draw at the Etihad in March – and have kept nine clean sheets.
“That is incredible and, if they wanted to, they could cause City problems on the counter-attack too, the same way Inter did.
“Still, it is almost two years since City failed to score in two successive games – October 2022, when they drew 0-0 in Copenhagen in the Champions League and then lost at Anfield in the Premier League.
“I am expecting a reaction, and I don’t think they will be as flat as they were on Wednesday.”
READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand says one area of Arsenal squad is the Premier League's best
Man City v Arsenal team news
Speaking ahead of the game, Guardiola revealed that City's doctor told him Kevin De Bruyne could not play the second half against Inter.
However, Guardiola later hinted that the Belgian could be involved against Arsenal, as reported by the Evening Standard, while Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake aren’t available.
As for the Gunners, they will be without Martin Odegaard for an extended period of time after scans revealed that the captain had suffered ankle ligament damage.
Declan Rice is back from his one-match suspension, while Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori were able to feature against Atalanta on Thursday.
Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mikel Merino remain on the sidelines.
