Manchester City vs Arsenal Preview

Manchester City and Arsenal will square up at the Etihad this Friday in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Both sides are having a close contest for the Premier League title this season but will take their budding rivalry to the FA Cup where they have enjoyed easy wins so far.

Pep Guardiola’s side faced a much tougher opponent in Chelsea but made light work of the Blues who they beat 4-0 at the Etihad to book their place in this round of the tournament.

That win was the first of a run of three consecutive wins at home where they scored 3+ goals. They are also unbeaten in their last five home games in all competitions (W4, D1) and come into this tie on the back of a massive 3-0 win over Wolves.

Summer signing Erling Haaland scored a hattrick in the game against Wolves squashing fears that he is out of form or poses an inhibition to the hosts. Guardiola will likely start him here as he attempts to keep his side in a domestic cup having recently been thrown out of the Carabao Cup.

Arsenal too were sent out of the EFL Cup when they beaten 3-1 by Brighton. But that defeat came just before the World Cup break with Mikel Arteta’s side winning all but one of the six games they have played since the restart.

The latest of those wins came against Manchester United last weekend meaning that the Gunners have lost just two games this season. Given how well they are performing, the thought of getting a win at the Etihad wouldn’t be strange to them. But with each of their last five meetings with City ending in defeat, Arteta will have to employ his best tactics to oust his former boss and friend, Guardiola.