Manchester City are back in Premier League action this weekend for arguably their biggest game of the season so far.
After winning all four of their top-flight games of the new campaign, City drew 0-0 with Inter Milan on Wednesday night at the Etihad Stadium in their first Champions League match of the season.
Pep Guardiola’s side are back on home turf this weekend as they take on Arsenal to try and extend their winning streak and put a five-point gap between them and Mikel Arteta’s side at the top of the table.
In the build-up to this big game, one pundit has weighed in with his thoughts on how this match could pan out for both sides.
Chris Sutton shares prediction for Man City vs Arsenal
In a recent column for BBC Sport where he previewed and predicted the scores for this weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures, Chris Sutton had this to say about City’s showdown with Arsenal.
He said: “Arsenal got a lot of praise for the way they shut out City here for a draw last season, but they then lost the title race by two points.
“Of course that left them open to anyone who wanted to be ‘Captain Hindsight’ – like I did when I turned the result around and used it to question the Gunners.
“Yes, that criticism was harsh but we are talking about the fine margins between finishing first and second.
“I don’t like to back against Arsenal because, defensively, they are so strong.
“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. I was at that game and thought City were well below their best.
“Erling Haaland was quiet and Kevin De Bruyne might not be fit to face the Gunners after getting injured before half-time.
“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. 2-1.”
A win against Arsenal would be big for City
As Sutton mentioned, the previous meeting at the Etihad between these two sides ended with a 0-0 scoreline back in March.
In the Premier League this season, the Gunners have won three and drawn one of their four matches, scoring six goals and conceding just one in the process.
Even though it’s still early in the campaign, if the Blues can secure a victory against Arsenal, as Sutton has now backed them to do, this would be a big deal for them and give them a big boost for the remainder of the title race.
