In what is almost certainly the most significant match that will be played in the Premier League this season, Manchester City welcome Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium knowing a win would make them overwhelming favorites to be crowned champions for a third year in a row. City currently trail the league leaders by five points but have two games in hand, however, the fact that the top two must face off again at this late stage of the season means we are in a strange situation where the title is in both teams' hands. A win for either would change the complexion of their season.
History certainly makes one of these two heavy favorites. Pep Guardiola has won all six of his home Premier League games against the Gunners by an aggregate score of 17-3 and his side have won their last 11 league matches against this particular opponent. Twice this season they have met and twice City have won. However, Arsenal might just be willing to take those two defeats if it means winning the big one. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
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Viewing information
- Date: Wednesday, April 26 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Emirates Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Live stream: Peacock Premium
- Odds: Manchester City -188; Draw +320; Arsenal +480 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Manchester City: After a week in which they beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Sheffield United in the FA Cup, the treble is suddenly an extremely tangible prospect for Guardiola's side. Matching the achievement of the Manchester United class of 1999 would be quite the boasting point for City supporters over the summer and beyond, as indeed it would be if Guardiola could join Sir Alex Ferguson as the only manager to have won a Premier League threepeat. Still, the City boss refuses to get carried.
"Before the final of the Champions League we will start to talk of the Treble," said Guardiola. "Look how far away it is. We are far, far away. How many times in this amazing country have Trebles been done? How many years? How many teams? It is one. Once. Our neighbors did it in how many centuries? Am I excited about the Treble? Not at all." Win on Wednesday, however, and it will be almost certain that one-third of it is in the bag with Opta giving City a 91 percent chance of winning the league if they beat Arsenal.
Arsenal: Three straight draws have taken the wind out of Arsenal's sails at a critical moment, turning a game that they could perhaps have afforded to lose into one they simply must win. Still, Mikel Arteta would be entitled to feel his side have merited more from their last three meetings against City, all of which have ended in narrow defeats. What his side will need to do is fix the sort of sloppiness that handed opponents a way back into games in recent weeks.
That may be harder to do if both William Saliba (back) and Granit Xhaka (illness) are absent. The latter has been ruled out amid fears he will not play again this season, Xhaka, however, will be subject to a late fitness test to see if he can add ballast to a midfield that looked dreadfully lightweight in their draw with Southampton.
Prediction
The luck of the green has not favored Arsenal in recent meetings with City, perhaps it will on this occasion? Even if it does, they might only be good enough right now to split the points with Europe's best team. Pick: Manchester City 1, Arsenal 1
