(Football news) Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will take on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in a blockbuster clash at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners will be hoping to avoid a third successive league game without a victory while City could occupy the top spot in the Premier League if they defeat Arsenal in the fixture. The Gunners have a realistic opportunity to win their first Premier League title in almost 20 years but have experienced a blip in their form, losing 1-0 to Everton followed by a 1-1 draw against Brentford in the Premier League.

Leandro Trossard took just four minutes to score his first goal of his Arsenal career when he came on just after the hour mark but a significant error by VAR meant that Ivan Toney managed to find the equaliser in the 74th minute despite Ethan Pinnock or Christian Norgaard being offside. The Gunners have been Premier League leaders since November but their eight points lead has now been reduced to three and they are behind Manchester City on goal difference. Arsenal have already lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup earlier this season and have a poor record against City, failing to win any of their last 13 Premier League wins.

While a defeat against City will see Arsenal relinquish their first place, the Gunners still have a game in hand. However, victory will be a big statement for Mikel Arteta’s side and can provide the morale to see out this season the right way. City defeated Aston Villa 3-1 in their last match, responding perfectly to being accused of breaching more than 101 Financial Fair Play rules. Pep Guardiola now has 184 wins in 250 games, the most by any manager in Premier League history and will be optimistic ahead of the Arsenal clash, as his side have won each of their last six away matches against Arsenal across all competitions.

In team news, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus is still unavailable for selection due to a knee injury while Mohamed Elneny is out for the season. Emile Smith Rowe (thigh) and Reiss Nelson (hamstring) have returned to training but Mikel Arteta has ruled the pair out for the clash against Manchester City. As for Manchester City, John Stones remains unavailable due to a hamstring injury while Erling Braut Haaland is a doubt after suffering a “big knock” against Aston Villa. The likes of Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake will hope to break into the team. Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri will feature in midfield alongside either Gundogan or Bernardo Silva while Julian Alvarez could feature if Haaland is absent.

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