Master vs Apprentice: Arteta's Blueprint to Outsmart Guardiola in Arsenal vs Man City Premier League Clash

Can Arsenal end their 12-game losing streak to Manchester City this weekend? After suffering their first defeat of the season against Lens in midweek, Mikel Arteta's team will be looking to bounce back. With five wins and two draws in their seven league games so far, this is their best unbeaten start since 2007/08.

Pep Guardiola witnessed his team's flawless beginning to the Premier League campaign abruptly cease last weekend, as they suffered an unforeseen 2-1 defeat against Wolves. Since December 2018, when they faced a 3-2 loss against Crystal Palace at home, followed by a 2-1 defeat at Leicester, they have not experienced back-to-back losses in the league.

Arsenal

Manchester City

Sunday 8th October 4:00pm

Kick off 4:30pm

While Arsenal have already hosted both Manchester United and Tottenham in the league, Manchester City have yet to face a single team who finished in the top six last season.

In the 2022/23 season, City managed to secure only one victory out of eight away league games against teams that finished ninth or higher. However, their triumph came in a remarkable 3-1 win over Arsenal in February. Remarkably, this marked the Gunners' sixth consecutive loss against Manchester City on their home turf, as they had never experienced seven consecutive home defeats against any other opponent in their league history.

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This marks the culmination of an exceptional winning streak, which stands as the joint-fifth longest in the history of top-division fixtures. The aggregate statistics from these 12 encounters serve to underscore the reigning champions' overwhelming superiority over last season's runners-up.

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This current winning streak is Guardiola's longest ever in his managerial career when facing a specific opponent. Arteta, on the other hand, has been unable to secure a victory against Manchester City in the Premier League, even though he has successfully triumphed over the other 23 teams that Arsenal has encountered since he took charge in December 2019.

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Even though Arsenal boasts the division's joint-second best defence, with only City conceding fewer goals, the disparity between their statistics at the Emirates and their performance away from home is truly staggering.

Arsenal's defense has only conceded goals at home this season, with all six Premier League goals against them being scored at their home stadium. In the previous season, they managed to keep only four clean sheets at home in the league, with only one clean sheet in their last 11 home matches. The absence of Kevin De Bruyne will provide a boost to Arsenal's defense since the Belgian player scored three goals in two league victories against them last season.

Fellow midfielder Rodri, who has scored in both league wins against Arsenal in 2021/22, is serving the final game of his three-match suspension. With Ilkay Gundogan having moved to Barcelona, none of City's midfield trio who started last season's Premier League victories against Arsenal will be part of Guardiola's team for this weekend's match.

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Manchester City's Rodri walks off the pitch after being shown a red card

Rodri's absence has had a noticeable impact - the team has experienced defeat in both domestic matches while he was suspended: in the EFL Cup against Newcastle and last Saturday's league match against Wolves. Interestingly, whenever Rodri has missed Premier League games since his debut, the team has lost 33% of those matches, whereas the loss percentage drops to just 13% when he has been on the field.

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Arsenal will take heart from the opportunity to go up against a weakened midfield. However, they have their own worries regarding injuries, as both first-choice wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka might be absent.

Since their Premier League debut as a pair against Everton in December 2019, they have jointly started 66 out of a total of 142 league games. Arsenal has triumphed in 62.1% of matches when they both initiate the game, as opposed to 51.3% when either one is absent. It is highly likely that Martinelli will not participate in Sunday's match, while Saka's availability remains uncertain; however, it is worth noting that he was recently selected for Gareth Southgate's latest England squad on Thursday.

Since May 2021, the Hale End graduate has participated in Arsenal's previous 87 league matches, establishing a club record for consecutive Premier League appearances. So far this season, he has contributed five goals and five assists across 10 appearances in all competitions.

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Regardless of Saka's presence in the starting lineup, Arsenal must devise a remarkable strategy to overcome their Manchester City curse. If they aspire to retain their status as the champions' primary title contenders from the previous season, seizing this Sunday evening opportunity would be ideal.