Arsenal face Manchester City this Saturday afternoon at the Emirates in what is yet another crunch tie at the top of the table.
Following their 2-2 draw against Swansea in the midweek, the Gunners have moved into fourth spot, six points behind league leaders Chelsea. While mathematically they’re very much in the title race, manager Arsene Wenger has already shifted his focus onto consolidating that top four finish.
A victory against City would not only take Arsenal back into title contention, but would also put a dent in the title bid for their opponents as we go into the last few games of the season.
Team News:
Wenger will be without Laurent Koscielny, who remains out with a calf injury, so skipper Thomas Vermaelen is likely to partner Per Mertesacker at the heart of defence.
However, the big headache for Wenger is the lack of options for the central midfield role. With Aaron Ramsey still ‘a few weeks away’ from returning and Jack Wilshere potentially out for rest of the season, the Arsenal boss is left with little choice than to start with midfield duo of Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini.
Although Kim Kallstrom made an impressive cameo appearance against Swansea, it is highly unlikely Wenger will risk starting him in a match of this magnitude.
Lukas Podolski was impressive in the last match after coming on as a sub, scoring a goal and setting up the other, but the German international could find himself being used as an impact sub again.
Prediction: 1-1; Man City have won 12 of their last 14 matches in the Premier League, but Arsenal are undefeated in their last 14 home matches in the League as well. This one could be tight!
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