Manchester City ended a run of three matches without a win in mid-week, as they triumphed 2-0 against Watford at the Etihad Stadium. There were some nervy moments towards the end of the game, before the second goal put the result beyond doubt and it will have come as a big relief to have finally kept a clean sheet.
Arsenal suffered only their second Premier League defeat on Tuesday night, going down 2-1 at Everton. Having been in control of the match in the first half and taken the lead, it looked as though Arsenal were going to pick up another 3 points. However, Everton fought back well and Arsenal didn’t have enough about them to see the game out and conceded the deciding goal with just a few minutes left on the clock. This defeat led to more questions about Arsenal’s durability and whether they can cope with the pressures of the title race.
Having lost back-to-back matches in the Premier League, it was vital Manchester City got back to winning ways before this meeting with Arsenal. Having conceded 5 goals in their previous two league games it was important to keep a clean sheet but Arsenal will offer a much bigger threat going forward than Watford.
Trends show Arsenal have scored in each of their last seven Premier League games. Not only that but they have been scoring at a good rate, netting an average of 2.57 goals per match. This suggests Arsenal will find the back of the net at the Etihad and considering Manchester City’s faults at the back, the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing them. However, Arsenal have also found difficulty in keeping clean sheets of late and both teams have scored in each of Arsenal’s previous seven Premier League games. Therefore, both teams to score seems to be nailed on for this match.
The key could be which team goes in at half-time leading the match. Trends show Arsenal have not been losing at half-time in any of their last 27 Premier League games. Not only that but they have not been losing at half-time in their last 13 away league matches. So, if Manchester City can force their way in-front at the interval, this could be a huge psychological blow to Arsenal, who are not used to going in at half-time losing in the Premier League. Manchester City have gone in at half-time leading in their last three home league games and the importance of doing so again in this match, will not be lost on Pep Guardiola.
Both teams have injury problems to deal with and Manchester City are still without Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho due to suspension.
Ultimately, the big winners from this match could be Chelsea. There is every possibility this match could end in a high scoring draw and this will allow Chelsea to pull away further at the top of the table, if they win their match at Crystal Palace. There is a lot riding on this match and it could develop into one of the best games of the season.