Man City v Arsenal – Preview, Team News and Prediction
After a rare week’s rest, Arsenal travel to the Etihad stadium to take on current table-toppers Manchester City in a game which is crucial for both sides. While Arsenal will look to continue their march up the Premier League table, the Citizens will try to get back to winning ways after Monday’s 2-1 defeat at the Bridge.
The Gunners came away 3-0 winners in this fixture last season but in no way or shape is it going to be that easy this time around. City have been the team to beat so far this season and have been scoring goals for fun. Although they did lose to Chelsea, I don’t think it was a fair result because Roberto Mancini’s men were the better side for the majority of the game.
Arsenal on the other hand are in quite exceptional form themselves. The Gunners have taken 22 points out of a possible 24 in their last eight league games and are showing no signs of slowing down. They have not lost since the 2-1 defeat at the Lane two and a half months ago and few would be foolish enough to write them off.
As usual, the Gunners will look towards Robin van Persie to provide the goals. The flying Dutchman has been in red-hot form so far this season and is the league’s top scorer with 14 goals to his name. To say that Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott will have their hands full would be an under statement. The prolific Dutchman is sure to trouble the City defence all afternoon.
But on the flipside, Arsenal’s liability (as usual) will be their defence. We will have four centre-backs on the field up against the meanest attack in the league so far this season. Per Mertesacker and Johann Djourou in particular will have a tough afternoon ahead of them. Although the Swiss international had a quite average game against the Toffees, he is sure to have a much tougher test against City as he will be up against either Na$ri or Milner.
A bigger cause for concern is the Spanish sensation David Silva. The former Valencia man has undoubtedly been the best of Mancini’s big-money buys and has been the fuel behind City’s blistering start to the season. He has been the chief orchestrator in midfield and I believe the game will be won or lost depending on how we handle the little Spaniard. So hopefully, Alex Song knows what he has to do.
We can expect to see a very open and entertaining game of football with both sides looking to attack. We will see some exhibition passing on display and from a neutral’s point of view, it could be quite the learning experience. A win will bring the Gunners to within six points of their opponents and will throw the race to the summit wide open.
Team news:
Arsenal are facing a full-back crisis at the moment with all four full-backs out with injury. Thomas Vermaelen will be the make-shift left-back while Johann Djourou will cover for the injured Sagna on the right. We can expect to see the same team that beat Everton last weekend although I would like to see Rosicky take Ramsey’s place.
As for City, they have a little full-crisis of their own. Former Arsenal man Gael Clichy has been suspended after being sent off against Chelsea while Aleksandr Kolarov is out with injury. This means Pablo Zabaleta will be the make-shift left-back while Micah Richards returns on the right side of the City defence. The Englishman missed the last couple of games with a calf strain.
Prediction: 2-1 to the Arsenal.
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Arsenal 3 Manshity 0
RVP score 1st goal for Arsenal…hatrick maybe
“We’re by far the greatest team the world has ever seen…”
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
35 
1
1 NIL TO ARSENAL
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1
It will be the second defeat for Man city, As gunners we have all it takes to gun them down,3-1 to ARSENAL….and pls meet me at the nearest pub after the match for pint it calls for celebration mery xmas to all Gunners
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I think it will be an open game but Arsenal have the guns within their amoury to gun down the city of Manchester.Since they lost to Chelsea,thier morale have demoralised while Arsenal will capitalise on their moral demoralisation to beat them in their home.Up Gunners!
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1-3 Aresenal
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Cant wait for tonight to start.
We gunner beat the money laiden rascals at thier own backyard..ARS 3, City 1
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
10 
0
2-4 to arsenal…
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I’ll go with the 4-2 arsenal
And first goal by van persie.
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i just wana a win how mean, ugly or fantastic it may be
and would also like to see the face of Cashri once they loose
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6 
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These a game of manager and every body we agree with me that wenger is far better than mancini so with no dout arsenal we win man city
goal line: mcity 1 v 3 ars
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4 
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If City score first they`ll be hard to pull back. Much as I would like Arsenal to prove me wrong I think a draw is the best we can hope for.
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5 
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LETS DO IT!
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Arsenal to win but the will be a slim Score line.1-0 or 2-1 for Gunners. Tipping Arteta to score. COYG.
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WS1
JD20 PM4 LK6 TV5
AS17
TW14 TR7 MA8 Forehead27
RVP10
Shitty 2-3 Arsenal……
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4 
3
Who cares what the score is as long as we win!
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5 
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Man City has not lost back to back PL matches in 67 attempts. So the best my Arsenal can get today is a draw.
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7
We will win. And we will have unexpected arsenal boy scoring today. Guys buy e a drink after the game.
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Would like to see Coquelin at right back, has played there before, reads the game well, could do a good job, and offer more going forward.
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@ JohnW
Thanks for you confidence and stats but it only means they’re due for a back to back loss!
Do you own a Nasri shirt?
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hope for rosicky to start ahead of ramsey.agreed!am worried abput the right side of defence with djourou n mert.hope evryguys out there put on a show like we does to chelsea.am jst hoping for a clean sheet for us!!draw 0-0 or win big 0-10 jokes! lol
hpefuly we’re the one hu tke the breakthru first n evryone in form.evnho rambo- f he starts hope he put on a show.cus hes the one hu need to orchestra the attacking midfield.even song wud b better there with hes vision.i think i wud prefer kos at right with tv5 n mert n the middle.with miquel at the left.bt wenger wud put a same lineup that against everton .i knw he wil.hope djourou bcome solid..so as the middle cn keep aguero,ballotoli and aguero silence.tv5 cn handle anyone in the left r middle.so as kos.song cn handle silva.we cn win the middle battle.so as upfront.gervinho n walcott tear their dfence apart.n robin on his best day.as for the rest too.dnt mind for a draw r even a win.aslong as we keep a clean sheet n tke a point from there.i realy hoping for us to thrash them.
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the problems occur if players other than rvp aren’t clinical.another thing is i suspect mancini could play 4 a draw(he did that the season before 2 seal top 4).if the score is 0-0 by some 60-70mins,then mancini will attempt to park the bus maybe……….
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*because he fears arsenals free flowing football.
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when we win Sshitty i hope rvp scores 2wice so breaks th14 record
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2-1 to the gunners.big up all arsenal fans!!!!!!!!!!!
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I think the game will not be an open game bcos city will pack their expensive bus and in this situation,we miss players like Hleb.Any way, i think it will be 2-! To the gunners.COYG
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Guys i love to optimistic but though stringing a few wins together we have not played that well.we have too many average players can only see this going one way and bring us back down to reality and that is that we need a new manager coach and board to be competitive. 5.0 to city i think
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1
Who would have thought, three months ago that we would be were we are. Everyone, including those useless bunch of “pundits” on Match of the Day had written us off, I recall one of them talking about a relegation fight for the Gunners. In the meantime they have fated ManShity as if they were Barcelona. Well they are nowhere near being Barcelona, they couldn’t even get out of their own qualifying group. None of the European teams that played them, were afraid of their reputation. Why? because in Europe they have no reputation, they are just a bunch of expensive players and European teams showed no fear. We must do the same today. I believe the game will end up ManShity 1 The Arsenal 3.
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Who would have thought, three months ago that we would be were we are. Everyone, including those useless bunch of “pundits” on Match of the Day had written us off, I recall one of them talking about a relegation fight for the Gunners. In the meantime they have fated ManShity as if they were Barcelona. Well they are nowhere near being Barcelona, they couldn’t even get out of their own qualifying group. None of the European teams that played them, were afraid of their reputation. Why? because in Europe they have no reputation, they are just a bunch of expensive players and European teams showed no fear. We must do the same today. I believe the game will end up ManShity 1 The Arsenal 3. Someone told me that their SatNav had broken down. “What’s wrong with it?, I asked” “Well, I can’t find Manchester anywhere in Europe”, was the reply. I know you’ve heard it before but there you go.
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I think it’ll be a tight one!! i’d bet on a slim win for the Arsenal, perhaps a 1-2 or 2-3 scoreline. that said, i will be fairly happy with a draw aswell.
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Hahahhahax , The gunners are goin to trash The ManShitty By 3 goals to 1 !! I am goin to look forward for a fantastic Defence frm arsenal as they lost their both side full backs ! Arsene would have stressed more on the defence … i jst wan our Flying RVP with glorious Gervinho and wonderful Walcott to rock the field ! In Arsene We Trust !
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man city 1 Arsenal 3
balotelli goal
RvP 2goals
Gervinho 1goal
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OOOO DEAARR
VAN PERSIE EXPLODING THE NET
Walcott n gervinho creating chaos on the flanks !!
Arteta n ramsey frustrating them with some endless passing
Song is the wall
God cant wait for tonight !!
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Schezney
Djourou Koscielney Mertesacker Vermaelan
Song
Walcott Ramsey Arteta Gervinho
RVP
COME ON ARSENAL!!!!!
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