Soccerlens.com

Arsenal can Overtake Manchester City with a Win

Arsenal vs Manchester City
English Premier League
Emirates Stadium, London
Wednesday, 5 January 2011 2010
19:45 GMT

Third placed Arsenal go into this match just two points behind second placed Manchester City, and with a game in hand. Both teams trail Manchester United right now, but both look serious title contenders, especially while Chelsea are struggling.

A home win for Arsenal would take them a point clear of Manchester City (and still with that game in hand), while an away win for Manchester City would open the gap to five points, and make Arsenal’s game in hand someone else’s problem.

Neither would be horrified with a draw, but a win for either team would mean their championship credentials suddenly look a lot more convincing.

Manchester City

Roberto Mancini will be without David Silva and Mario Balotelli, both of whom have knee injuries. But injured attacking players isn’t really a problem at Manchester City right now.

James Milner came on for Silva during the 1-0 win over Blackpool, and will be more than happy to start in the Spaniard’s place against Arsenal. Adam Johnson scored the winner in that game and should keep his shirt, while Yaya Toure is an attacking midfielder in form.

Carlos Tevez may have struggled to score against Blackpool (he missed a penalty and later fell over when one on one with the keeper) but he was still a constant danger and will probably be so again at the Emirates.

The history books say Manchester City haven’t won at Arsenal since way back in 1975, but the current squad of superstars probably aren’t too worried about that. Squad harmony might be more of a concern, with – ironically – former Arsenal teammates Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure apparently having to be pulled apart in training.

Arsenal

Don’t let that 2-2 draw with Wigan fool you, Arsenal are in excellent form. Seven points out of nine over Christmas, including that 3-1 win over Chelsea and the recent 3-0 dismantling of Birmingham City. The win over Chelsea can and should be interpreted as an expression of just how serious Arsenal are about finally winning some silverware this season.

Łukasz Fabiański has looked the real deal in goal recently, Robin van Persie is miraculously uninjured and Samir Nasri is now complementing Cesc Fabregas in Arsenal’s midfield, rather than filling in for him. See Arsenal’s third goal vs. Brimingham for proof.

There are still medium/long-term injury problems for Arsene Wenger to worry about though: Manuel Almunia, Kieran Gibbs, Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Frimpong and Thomas Vermaelen are all out, leaveing the Arsenal squad a little thin. That may explain Wenger’s decision to rest key players vs. Wigan, but Wenger will be sure to pick his strongest XI to face Manchester City.

Watch Arsenal v Manchester City Live Online

You can watch Manchester City take on Arsenal live online as well as all other English Premier League matches, plus hundreds of football games from around the world. Read our live English Premier League football page for more details.

Topics: Arsenal, English Premier League, Manchester City, Match Reports