The pressure is well and truly on for Arsene Wenger
and Pep Guardiola as they prepare for a meeting at
the Etihad that may reveal a great deal about their
side’s title challenges.
Until Wednesday Arsenal had been keeping pace with
league leaders Chelsea but their worst league
performance of the season opened the door for
Antonio Conte’s men to steal a march; by the time the
Gunners kick off on Sunday the gap to first could be
nine points.
Manchester City have also struggled to keep pace
with Chelsea but brought to an end a near-three
month wait for a home league win with an at times
uninspired 2-0 victory over Watford, adding a rare
clean sheet in the process.
Even those three points came at a cost, with Ilkay
Gundogan facing several months on the sidelines
with a knee injury and joining Sergio Aguero,
Fernandinho and Vincent Kompany in missing
Sunday’s crucial game.
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City midfielder Gundogan suffered a
cruel blow in what has been an injury-plagued few
years for him when he collided with Watford wide
man Nordin Amrabat, reports in Germany now
suggest the 26-year-old may be out for the remainder
of the season.
Guardiola’s midfield options are further depleted by
the absence of Fernandinho, suspended for violent
conduct after being red carded in a brawl during the
closing minutes of the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea. It likely
means Yaya Toure, ostracised by his manager until
last month, will be paired with Fernando at the base
of City’s midfield.
Sergio Aguero will continue to serve his four match
ban for violent conduct whilst Vincent Kompany is
not expected to return until 2017.
Wenger is also without a key defender as Shkodran
Mustafi continues his recovery from a hamstring
injury that could rule him out for much of the festive
period whilst Aaron Ramsey is unavailable with a
similar problem.
Santi Cazorla, Danny Welbeck, Per Mertesacker and
Mathieu Debuchy remain mid-to-long term
absentees.
Injuries aside there remains an ongoing battle for
spots on the Arsenal flanks, one it seemed Theo
Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were shading
until both put in anodyne performances at Everton.
Both Lucas Perez and Alex Iwobi will hope that a spot
has now opened up for them.
POSSIBLE STARTING LINEUPS
Manchester City 4-2-3-1: Bravo; Zabaleta, Otamendi,
Stones, Kolarov; Toure, Fernando; De Bruyne, Silva,
Sterling; Nolito
Arsenal 4-2-3-1: Cech; Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny,
Monreal; Xhaka, Coquelin; Walcott, Ozil, Oxlade-
Chamberlain; Sanchez