Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City travel to the Emirates on Sunday, seeking to close the gap between them and Arsenal in the Premier League.
A win would put them just three points behind the Gunners with 14 games left.
Here are three reasons why they can secure a crucial victory.
Resurgence & return to form
After a dismal run that saw them win just one in 13, Manchester City have turned their season around, losing just once in their last eight games.
This resurgence coincided with the return of stars like Mateo Kovacic and Manuel Akanji and Guardiola has benefited from their return to tweak his squad and get desired results.
City are better than they were a month ago, and as their 3-1 win against Chelsea showed, they will be a difficult opponent for anyone.
Manchester City’s attack
Manchester City’s attacking trio has started peaking at the right moment after some struggles in the first half of the season.
Phil Foden has 6 goals and 2 assists in his last 7 games to remind everyone why he was named PFA Player of the Year last season. Savinho has been a creative spark in recent weeks and Erling Haaland continues to be the supreme goal threat.
Haaland, in particular, has had a hard time against this Arsenal defence on the road but he seems to be playing with the kind of swagger he showed in his debut season, and as long as this attack is firing, Man City will be favourites against anyone.
The trio’s scintillating form has been a key factor in Manchester City’s recent resurgence, and they will be eager to exploit any weaknesses in the Gunners’ backline.
Strong head-to-head record
Manchester City have only lost once to Arsenal in the past 11 meetings, and that was the 1-0 reverse last season at the Emirates.
The champions are extremely dominant in this fixture and that could give them a mental edge as they step onto the Emirates turf on Sunday evening.
As long as the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Haaland, and Foden are at their best, we expect City to take all three points against Mikel Arteta’s men.
