Arsenal take on Manchester City in what is the biggest game of the Premier League so far this season.
The two clubs have gone toe-to-toe in the battle to win the Premier League title in each of the last two campaigns, and they are expected to fight it out again this term.
Manchester City will likely go into the game at the Etihad as the favourites, but Arsenal shouldn’t be too worried about Pep Guardiola’s side.
The North Londoners are unbeaten in their last three games against City, and there is no reason why they cannot get a positive result again.
Ahead of the game, Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman got into an argument.
Chris Sutton reacts to ‘ridiculous’ claim about Arsenal ahead of Manchester City clash
Although the Manchester City game is the one on everyone’s mind, Arsenal have a Champions League clash against Atalanta to deal with first.
The Gunners are in Bergamo and will face Gian Piero Gasperini’s side on Thursday night. That is going to be a really tough game.
While Arsenal battle it out in the north of Italy, Manchester City would’ve had a full 24 hours of rest, having played their Champions League game on Wednesday night.
What’s even more convenient for Guardiola is the fact that his side played at home against Inter Milan and will again be at the Etihad when they face Arsenal.
Ladyman claimed on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast that the scheduling puts Arsenal at a ‘significant disadvantage’ ahead of their game against City.
Sutton, however, was having none of that.
After Ladyman claimed that Arteta has every right to be upset, Sutton replied: “No he hasn’t! Absolutely not. That’s rubbish. Actually, Arsenal coped pretty well without Odegaard and Rice against Tottenham anyway.
“But regardless of that, so what’s the alternative then? What do you want UEFA to then (do) – when Premier League clubs have a big head-to-head at the weekend, make sure that they play at the same time, exactly at the same place or whatever?
“That’s ridiculous. Get on with it. It’s part and parcel of football.”
READ MORE: Manchester City suffer huge injury blow just days before Arsenal clash at the Etihad
Arteta should be wise about one thing vs Atalanta
Mikel Arteta has promised that he will not rotate his side against Atalanta just because they are facing Manchester City at the weekend. The Arsenal boss will name the best possible lineup.
That makes sense because getting off to a winning start in the Champions League is really important, but he just can’t ignore the game at the weekend.
Arsenal will probably have just one proper training session on Saturday to prepare for the game against City, and the last thing Arteta would want is more injuries than he already has.
That’s why we think Arteta should rest a couple of his big players in Bergamo against Atalanta.
Even if people like Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber don’t play, we think Arsenal have enough quality to get the job done in Italy.
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