Premier League Preview: Manchester City v Arsenal
With the Premier League title all but gone, this return to action represents more importance for Arsenal than Manchester City
Manchester City Vs Arsenal - LIVE STREAM
Date – Wednesday, June 17, 2020; Kick-Off – 22:15 Mecca; Channel – 11 HD
Gareth Messenger
This next month could be critical for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side. Lose against Arsenal and Liverpool can dethrone City by winning at Everton on Sunday.
Lose an appeal against their two-year Champions League ban when the verdict is announced in the first half of next month and Guardiola may lose his best player, Kevin De Bruyne.
It really feels like everything to lose and nothing to gain for City and their manager Guardiola, whose mother sadly died after contracting Covid-19 during the global pandemic.
It is certainly a transitional period for Guardiola. He has brought in Juanma Lillo as his new assistant to replace the man he comes up against in Mikel Arteta, and while Sergio Aguero seems keen on staying put, he is now 32 years old. David Silva leaving for pastures new too will signify another loss on the same scale as Vincent Kompany’s departure.
The one positive is Guardiola has brought in a man he trusts. Juanma Lillo was Pep’s manager at the end of his playing days at Dorados in Mexico. Guardiola considers him to be a mentor, but is he ready to cope with the intense schedule City faces?
The Citizens have 10 league games, at least one FA Cup match and the minimum of one Champions League match, so it will be interesting to see if Lillo can have any impact the way Arteta has done previously.
One piece of good news for City though, Leroy Sane is back from long-term injury however his future is another talking point with long-term admirers Bayern still chasing the German winger.
Manchester City Predicted Team
Ederson; Walker, Laporte, Stones, Zinchenko; Fernandinho, De Bruyne, D. Silva; Sterling, Aguero, B. Silva
The summer can't come quick enough for the Gunners, who have an unsettled front line, an inconsistent midfield and a non-existent back four. It’s been hardly ideal for Mikel Arteta, who has had his own challenges to face, testing positive and since recovering from Covid-19.
When the teams met earlier in the campaign in North London it was the Kevin de Bruyne show, as the Belgian single-handedly ripped Arsenal apart.
Arteta will also have a personal point to prove when he comes up against his former master, Guardiola. But he will need his players firing on all cylinders at the resumption of the season. Not that that has been evident – the Gunners lost to Brentford in a friendly just last week – not exactly the ideal preparation for a match against the current reigning champions.
Arsenal Predicted Team
Leno; Bellerin, Sokratis, Luiz, Saka; Torreira, Xhaka; Martinelli, Ozil, Aubameyang; Lacazette