Manchester City Take On Arsenal For The Match Of The Week

Manchester City slipped up last week by drawing against an Everton team struggling for consistency the whole season. This meant that Chelsea have opened up a two point gap at the top of the Barclays Premier League. Arsenal on their part recovered some lost ground by winning at home against Stoke to bring the gap between fourth placed Manchester United down to one. Now these two teams meet each other knowing fully well that any points dropped will do them no favour.

Manchester City have won three of their last five matches coming into this game. They have drawn the other two. Arsenal have won four of the last five games. They have lost the other away from home to Southampton. In the last 10 meetings between these two team Manchester City have won three while Arsenal have won two matches, the other five have been drawn games. At the Etihad stadium in the last four meetings two have gone Manchester City's way while there has been a draw and an Arsenal win. Last corresponding meeting at the Etihad was a nine goal thriller, City edging it six-three. The last meeting this season ended in a two all draw.

Arsenal should welcome back Calum Chambers, Danny Welbeck and Mikel Arteta back from illness, a hip/thigh injury and a calf muscle strain respectively. Manchester City have problems with their striking force. Main striker Sergio Aguero started off the bench in the last match against Everton and came on with twenty minutes left. Unfortunately he looked rusty and could not find a winner for his team.

The man to watch out for in this game is Arsenal's Chilean import Alexis Sanchez. He has arguably been the player of the season so far and definitely the most influential player coming into the Barclays Premier League this season. With 12 goals and seven assists already he has been directly involved in 19 of the 37 goals that Arsenal have scored in the league this season. Most likely stopping Sanchez is the key for City to win this football match.

To contact the author of this article, email a.biswas@IBTimes.com.au