This clash against Manchester City presents a significant challenge for Arsenal, testing their credentials in the Premier League. Their aim is to maintain pressure on the league leaders, Liverpool, at the summit. Prior to this round, Arsenal is in second place, trailing Liverpool by six points. However, they seem to have regained their form with an impressive unbeaten streak of five matches across all competitions (winning four and drawing one). Their recent 2-1 victory over Girona secured them a spot in the UEFA Champions League last 16.
When focusing solely on the Premier League, Arsenal has gone unbeaten in 13 matches (winning eight and drawing five). Since gameweek 11, they have accumulated the most points compared to any other team (29 points). This unbeaten run under Mikel Arteta is their longest since August to December 2018 when they went 14 league matches without defeat under Unai Emery.
Manchester City’s recent success, winning three out of four matches, suggests that they are starting to regain their top form. Their most recent victory against Club Brugge, with a score of 3-1, secured their place in the UEFA Champions League play-offs. Currently sitting in fourth place, six points behind Arsenal, it may be unlikely for them to retain their title. However, they still have a good chance of finishing the season in the top two if they can secure a win in their upcoming match.
This is especially true when considering Manchester City’s track record of becoming an unstoppable force in the second half of the season. They have only lost one out of their last 40 Premier League matches played between January and the end of the campaign. In fact, that single loss occurred on the final day of the 2022/23 season against Brentford, with a score of 1-0. It’s important to note that they had already secured the championship title at that point.
Players to keep an eye on: Kai Havertz made a name for himself with a memorable winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final for Chelsea against Manchester City. Interestingly, this remains his only goal against them in 12 encounters. On the other hand, the Arsenal player has been in fine form at home, finding the back of the net twice in his last two appearances, both of which occurred in the second half. Similarly, Phil Foden from Manchester City has been on a scoring spree, netting more Premier League goals in January than any other player (six).
Notable statistic: After enjoying a remarkable streak of 12 consecutive victories against Arsenal in the league from 2017 to 2023, Manchester City has encountered some difficulties in their recent head-to-head matches, failing to secure a win in their last three encounters (with two draws and one loss).
