Manchester City vs Arsenal. Premier League.
Etihad Stadium.
Watch Manchester City vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports Premier League from 8pm; Kick-off 8.15pm
Wednesday 17 June 2020 20:27, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Manchester City vs Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday (kick-off 8.15pm).
Pep Guardiola did not report any new injury concerns for the game against Arsenal, but the Manchester City manager warned that his players are not fully fit ahead of the Premier League's resumption.
Guardiola said there has not been enough time to gear his players up for Wednesday's restart, which comes 101 days after their last match against Manchester United.
Winger Leroy Sane was closing in on a return before the suspension following a knee injury sustained in August, while defender Aymeric Laporte has had an injury-hit season.
Arsenal expect to have Kieran Tierney available in a near full-strength squad.
The Scotland full-back would have missed the original trip with a dislocated shoulder but could make his first appearance of the year at the Etihad Stadium.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has reported no fresh injuries since the return to training but defender Calum Chambers (cruciate ligaments) is out and midfielder Lucas Torreira (ankle) is a major doubt.
Manchester City vs Arsenal is live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 8pm; Kick-off 8.15pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
The break probably came at a decent time for Arsenal. They were improving under Mikel Arteta. Has he brought himself time like people have been saying? I don't think so. All he has done has worked on a strategy a bit more.
The reality stares you straight in the face - Arsenal are ninth with 40 points. I look at the table and Arsenal have 13 draws in 28 games, yet they have only lost six all season.
I would like to be more enthusiastic, but I can't. You can work with Sokratis Papastathopoulos, David Luiz, and Shkodran Mustafi and get them to improve, but they will not improve by much. Luiz will move on next season and Arteta will know that Sokratis and Mustafi are all seemingly pitching to be sold.
When you come to play Man City, the hard part is when you get the ball. You seem to be in a rush, your touch is clumsy and decision-making is rash. Keeping the ball is the hard thing. When you don't have it, you are chasing and it drains you.
City will have a lot of the ball - I think Arsenal will sit and play one up front. As much as Arteta loves playing a 4-3-3, he will have to protect the weakness at the back.
The areas where Pep's side will be overpowering will be in midfield and the wide areas. Whether Leroy Sane stays next year or not we do not know, but he will busting to get a start and get back playing. You then have the likes of Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus - the choices are remarkable.
If Arsenal were to go with an attacking line-up, if it was a front three, it would become an isolated Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Eddie Nketiah. They will not get the service or chances.
Sterling went through a poor spell before the break and drifted off, so he will be keen to get back into it. The standards he set meant he was not as good as what he has been. There is too much pace, movement, control in City's play, and in reality, Pep will have them fresh again. One thing we can expect is Kevin De Bruyne to be his same old brilliant self.
Man City have won one trophy, they have FA Cup to go for and the potential of the Champions League, so they have to be ready for that. City will get back in the groove, keep the ball and carve teams open. I think Arsenal will have a half-decent run-in but this will be too much for them. City will take care of business.
CHARLIE PREDICTS: 3-1 (9/1 with Sky Bet)
The Premier League 2019/20 season will provisionally restart on Wednesday June 17 and Sky, the UK's leading football broadcaster, will make 25 games available 'free to air' - including Everton vs Liverpool on the first full weekend back - for everyone in the UK to enjoy.
Sky Sports will show 64 live Premier League games when the season resumes. In addition to the 39 matches already scheduled to be broadcast exclusively live on Sky Sports before the coronavirus interruption, 25 more matches will be available on both Sky Sports Premier League and Sky's free-to-air Pick channel, allowing the whole nation to be part of the return of live sport.
To celebrate the return of the Premier League, Sky Sports will also launch a host of innovative new features and updates to give fans an even more immersive experience and share the moments live with family and friends on virtual platforms.
