Manchester City vs Arsenal 04/02/19

04 February 2019

Sunday’s Premier League action concludes with a heavyweight clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, with both sides looking to walk away from the Etihad Stadium with all three points.

Currently chasing the league leaders Liverpool by five points, the reigning holders have to clinch a victory here to prevent the Reds from running away with the title. A shock 2-1 road loss to Newcastle United in midweek’s PL clash has seen the Citizens’ remarkable eight-game winning run across all competitions coming to an end, and it was also the first time they’ve conceded more than one goal per match since late December. However, Pep Guardiola’s men have put five successive home wins together ahead of this round, notching 26 goals while allowing just one in the sequence. Moreover, not only Man City won 11 of 12 PL home games (W11, L1), but they’ve scored 40 goals during the run, which is by far the best attacking record in the English top tier.

On the other hand, the visitors, who have secured back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since early December, can’t afford a failure if looking to preserve the fourth place. Far more comfortable at home, the Gunners have been struggling on the road this term, achieving just four wins on 11 PL road trips (W4, D3, L4). What’s more, Unai Emery’s men are winless in their previous five PL road encounters (D2, L3), with their last PL away victory dating back to late November. Dealing with extreme difficulties at the back the Gunners remain the only team in the league that is yet to keep a clean sheet on the road. Arsenal (22) have conceded more goals away from home than any other side from the upper half of the table, allowing over 1.5 goals per match six times in 11 PL road meetings so far.