Manchester City vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League team news and line-ups

The home side have won five of their last six games, including convincing wins against Luton, Manchester United and FC Copenhagen. They also drew at Anfield earlier in March, in what could prove to be a pivotal result for Arsenal’s title hopes.

This season, City are unbeaten in 38 matches at the Etihad in all competitions, winning 33 and drawing five. However, City are winless in all five of their league fixtures this season against top-five sides, drawing three and losing two.

Meanwhile Arsenal, who squeezed through on penalties against Porto in the Champions League, were the league’s form team in February and March, beating Liverpool while putting four past Newcastle, five past Burnley and six past West Ham and Sheffield United. In 2024, they’ve scored 33 goals and conceded just four.

The Gunners have won just once in 19 previous Premier League away fixtures against City, and have lost each of their last five.

Ahead of Liverpool’s earlier kick-off, a look at which of the three title contenders has the ‘best’ remaining fixtures.

After that, as the Premier League title race enters April, the run-in can truly begin. But which team has the best fixtures and who has the hardest run of games to end the season? Here’s where the title could be won and lost.

Manchester City play host to their title rivals at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday having won the last seven home meetings between the two sides.

Arsenal finally managed to record a rare victory over City when they won the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season and go into the weekend top of the table – above Liverpool on goal difference with Guardiola’s reigning champions a point further back.

With Manchester City a point behind Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s men are in the unusual position of chasing to win the title, as well as another treble, this season.

Speaking ahead of that game, Guardiola stated that it’s the mentality of his players that drives them to their successes.

“I think it comes from inside themselves. After eight years, I don’t have to motivate them every three days – it doesn’t work like that unfortunately,” he said.

“They have something inside – some fire – to compete or else we would not be here. I say a thousand million times that the biggest reason behind our success is the players and their desire to extend the success.

“They set the benchmark for the future generations. I couldn’t imagine we would be here after all these years and every year be in the top three, FA Cup semi-finals and the Champions League. It’s so complicated and it’s really good – really good.”

Like City, Arsenal will be working rapidly in the fitness room to get their key players on the pitch at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon but there are doubts over big hitters like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Here’s what we know about the Gunners’ latest injury hits:

Saka was named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium but pulled out with a hamstring injury and was sent back to Arsenal. He has not trained ahead of the weekend but, like with Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes, Mikel Arteta says there is a “chance” he will be available.

The winger missed Arsenal’s wins over Brentford and Porto in the Champions League with a foot injury, originally picked up in the thrashing of Sheffield United at the start of the month. He missed out on Brazil’s squad due to the problem and is yet to return to training but may do so on Saturday.

The centre-back was named in Brazil’s squad for friendlies against England and Spain but withdrew from the camp due to an Achilles problem. Like with Saka and Martinelli, he has not trained but could do so ahead of the trip to City.

Pep Guardiola has been juggling a few injuries in his squad with Jack Grealish missing the international break with a muscle strain before John Stones and Kyle Walker both took knocks playing for England.

Here’s the latest updates on City’s absentee list with verdicts on whether the players will possibly play against Arsenal:

The defender was forced off early on in the 2-2 draw against Belgium on Tuesday night, having played the entire match against Brazil on Saturday. Gareth Southgate confirmed Stones had a “problem” with his abductor as he defended starting the centre-back in consecutive games. He will play no part against Arsenal and Pep Guardiola did not put a timescale on his return.

City will be without their first-choice right back when they host Arsenal. Walker pulled up with a hamstring problem in the early stages of England’s defeat to Brazil, having been forced into a couple of sprints against the winger Vinicius Jr. Pep Guardiola said Walker’s injury was more significant than Stones’s. He said: “Kyle’s more tough than John’s but they will be out- I don’t know for how many games.

The goalkeeper missed Brazil’s camp having picked up an injury in City’s 1-1 draw against Liverpool before the international break, but is doing “much, much better” and is set to face Arsenal.

The attacking midfielder was devastating in both games against Arsenal last season but missed Belgium’s camp due to a muscle injury. De Bruyne has returned to training this week and City are confident he will be fit for the Arsenal clash on Sunday.

The winger was ruled out of England’s camp after picking up another muscle injury during City’s FA Cup win at Luton in February. Sunday may come too soon for Grealish to start, but he was also part of the contingent who returned to training this week – along with Manuel Akanki and Matheus Nunes.

To be the best, you have to beat the best. It is a familiar theory. It appears to be underpinning Arsenal’s planning, their strategy for the season. Or, even when the best are unbeatable, at least draw 1-1 with them.

The fact Arsenal topped the table for 248 days has been relegated to a subplot in last season’s tale of Manchester City’s treble. It did not have the inevitability sometimes attributed, but City retained the status of title favourites for virtually all of those 248 days. The two most significant came against Arsenal: 3-1 and 4-1 victories were emphatic, a brilliantly brutal illustration of the destructive gifts of Erling Haaland and, still more so, Kevin de Bruyne, whose 167 minutes against the Gunners produced three goals and two assists.

And take those two results away and Arsenal got 84 points and City 83. It isn’t as simple as that, Pep Guardiola’s team dropping five points after the title was won, three of them with a second-string side. The eventual standings could nevertheless be used to argue that Arsenal were better at beating the rest.

A close game finishes as a draw that is a boost to Arsenal’s title hopes, but means Liverpool finish as the real winner should they defeat Brighton in Sunday’s earlier kick off.

Manchester City 1-1 Arsenal.

Here’s how we think Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta will set up their teams this afternoon:

Manchester City XI: Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Rodri, Bernardo; Foden, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland

Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Trossard