Arsenal vs Manchester City: Preview & Prediction

Arsenal take on Manchester City at the Emirates on Monday night with both sides looking to close the gap to Leicester City at the top.

The Foxes extended their lead at the top to five points following their impressive 3-2 win at Everton on Saturday, meaning this season’s surprise package will be at the summit on Christmas Day.

Arsene Wenger’s side, who are the only side to beat Leicester in the league this term, sit second, so will move to within two points of Claudio Ranieri’s men with a victory.

After dropping points at West Brom and Norwich, the Gunners have won their two previous outings – vs Sunderland and Aston Villa – and have not been defeated at the Emirates in the top-flight since they surprisingly were defeated by West Ham on the opening weekend.

This form means the North London side will be confident of defeating a City side which has struggled on the road.

The Citizens haven’t won away from the Etihad in their last four league outings and have failed to find the net in their last three.

Additionally, injuries to key players and uncertainty surrounding the future of Manuel Pellegrini, who is reportedly going to be replaced by Pep Guardiola in the summer, won’t have helped matters.

However, the visitors haven’t lost on their last three visits to the Emirates and the hosts have collected more points away from home this term.

Arsenal keeper Petr Cech will be hoping he can make an eighth top-flight shutout of the season to surpass David James’ record of 169 Premier League clean sheets.

Team News:

Alexis Sanchez could be back in the Arsenal squad after returning to training following a hamstring injury.

Mikel Arteta could also be available after a calf injury, but Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin, Danny Welbeck, Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky remain sidelined.

Top scorer Sergio Aguero could return for City after missing the last four matches with a heel injury, but captain Vincent Kompany is still sidelined.

Fellow defender Pablo Zabaleta, plus midfielders Fernando and Samir Nasri will also miss the trip to London.

League Position: Arsenal – 2nd (33 pts); Man City – 3rd (32 pts)
Last Meeting: Man City 0-2 Arsenal – January 18th, 2015
Key Players: Arsenal – Olivier Giroud; Man City – David Silva
Premier League Form: Arsenal – WDLDWW; Man City – WDLWLW
Shoot Says: Arsenal 2-1 Man City