Arsenal and Manchester City resume their recent rivalry this weekend as the two teams face off in the Premier League.
- Date: 21/09/2025
- Kick-off: 4:30pm
- Location: Emirates Stadium, North London
As far as their title aspirations are concerned, the Gunners can't afford to lose this one having already lost to Liverpool at Anfield. Liverpool have won every game so far this season and Mikel Arteta's side need to keep pace with Arne Slot's team.
Arsenal have started the season decently themselves, with some positive performances from individual players. Noni Madueke has made a strong impression on the wing, while Martin Zubimendi's performances have been a huge positive - as have those of Riccardo Calafiori.
The Gunners have been criticised for their conservative approach at points this season, particularly in their 1-0 loss at Anfield, so Mikel Arteta is under huge pressure to win a major trophy this season.
It's early days in his Arsenal career, but there are also criticisms around how Eberechi Eze is being used. The England man, who made his name as an attacking midfielder playing with freedom, has spent most of his time out on the left wing, and has been fairly ineffective. There are huge calls for his talents to be freed from their shackles, so we'll see how that plays out this weekend.
Arsenal will be well up for this game and will be hard to beat, but they're a team with a lot to prove.
Manchester City are coming into this game with the wind in their sails. A 3-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League was followed by a 2-0 Champions League win over Napoli in midweek. Erling Haaland is on fire in front of goal, while Phil Foden is looking somewhere close to his best, which, if sustained, would be a major boost for the team.
Like Arsenal, City have a lot to prove after a poor campaign (by their standards) last season. City still seem to have some issues out of possession, and it remains to be seen whether they can solve those. They are, though, pretty ruthless going forward and have a tonne of attacking quality.
Pep's men were hammered at the Emirates last season and will be desperate to make amends in what was arguably the worst defeat in Guardiola's time at the club.
