Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for this Thursday night Premier League clash between Arsenal and
Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium!
These two sides will be very familiar with each other having met just four days ago at Wembley, and Man City will be hoping for a similar result on their quick return to North London today. Arsenal have little choice but to win if they are to keep their top-four hopes alive, though, so it should be a very interesting encounter.
Before we get into that, let's first check out the team news...
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Mustafi, Kolasinac; Xhaka, Ramsey, Ozil, Mkhitaryan, Welbeck; Aubameyang
ARSENAL SUBS: Ospina, Holding, Chambers, Maitland-Niles, Elneny, Iwobi, Nketiah
MAN CITY STARTING XI: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Danilo; Gundogan, De Bruyne, Silva; Bernardo, Sane, Aguero
MAN CITY SUBS: Bravo, Stones, Laporte, Jesus, Zinchenko, Toure, Foden
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, the headline as far as Arsenal are concerned is that Henrikh Mkhitaryan returns to the starting XI as expected, having missed the EFL Cup final due to being cup-tied.
The Armenian - a former Manchester United player, of course - made a brilliant start to life at the club with three assists early on, but that has proven to be something of a false dawn as far as the team's recent form. A good performance from Mkhitaryan tonight could improve that situation, though.
© Offside
Mkhitaryan's old Borussia Dortmund pal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also leads the line tonight, as he did in the EFL Cup final four days ago. There is no Lacazette even on the bench for the hosts, so the main bulk of the goalscoring burden will fall on Aubameyang's shoulders.
The Gabon international will have plenty of support, though, with Mesut Ozil once again proving to be one of the most creative players in the league this season and the likes of Ramsey, Mkhitaryan and Welbeck all capable of contributing in the final third as well.
The inclusion of Welbeck is an interesting one as he has certainly not been a regular starter this season - partly down to fitness but also due to his form.
Wilshere drops out to make room for another former Manchester United man, while there will also be a change of system for this game as Arsenal revert to four at the back, having revisited the three-man defence option at Wembley.
Wenger has made four changes to the team which started that EFL Cup final at Wembley, with one of those coming in goal as Petr Cech once again goes in search of his 200th Premier League clean sheet - a landmark which has eluded him for a while now.
Monreal misses out having picked up a back injury in Sunday's final and is replaced by Kolasinac, while Mkhitaryan and Welbeck also come in.
Whereas Cech is looking for a 200th Premier League clean sheet tonight, the man most likely to ruin his chances - Sergio Aguero - is currently just one goal short of reaching 200 for City across all competitions.
Aguero has a brilliant recent record against Arsenal too, scoring in each of his last five appearances in this fixture across all competitions. The Argentine has never scored in six consecutive games against any single opponent for City.
© Offside
Aguero continues to keep the fit-again Jesus out of the team, although the Brazilian does again make the bench tonight having made his return from injury during Sunday's final at Wembley.
Raheem Sterling is another who misses out due to injury this evening, with the England international still struggling with a muscle injury. This is now the third game in a row he has missed, but Sane is back fit and firing to join Bernardo and Aguero in the front three.
There is no shortage of creativity on the field today, and they don't come much more creative than Kevin De Bruyne, who has two goals and two assists in his last four Premier League games against Arsenal.
The Belgian has a league-leading tally of 14 assists this term, although strangely only two of those have come in away fixtures. If De Bruyne doesn't unlock a defence then David Silva is more than capable of doing it himself, though, and the Spaniard also starts this evening.
It is a very attacking City lineup, with Gundogan expected to be the holding midfielder in the absence of Fernandinho, who was injured at Wembley.
Vincent Kompany interestingly keeps his place in the side ahead of Stones and Laporte in an unchanged back four, although goalkeeper Ederson does return in place of Bravo behind them. Indeed, Bernardo in for Fernandinho is the only switch Guardiola has made at all.
It is an attacking lineup for City, then, and one which boasts so many different threats which Arsenal will know all too much about.
Arsene Wenger will be demanding a better performance from his players this time around, but they were so clearly second best to City at Wembley that their chances of picking up a win - even here at home - look bleaker than they would against almost any other team in world football.
The annual increase in calls for
Arsene Wenger to step down has been accelerated since the EFL Cup final defeat at Wembley, with Arsenal's season now hanging on either winning the Europa League, finishing in the top four or both.
Both are big asks for the Gunners, though, and the Europa League is their own remaining hope of silverware - as well as providing an alternative route into next season's Champions League. Arsenal have been handed a tough draw in the last 16. though, where they will take on an in-form AC Milan side.
As far as finishing in the top four is concerned, Arsenal have a huge amount of work to do if they are to claw their way back into the race for Champions League football.
Arsenal's own result on Sunday will have ruined their weekend, but it was made even worse by the fact that Tottenham scored a late winner to beat Crystal Palace. That saw Spurs increase the gap to 10 points, so it will take a fairly sizeable collapse from one of the teams above them in the table for them to bridge that deficit.
Arsenal do have a game in hand, of course, but the one team you don't want to face in an extra game is Man City.
The Gunners come into this match in really poor form too. They have lost four of their last six games across all competitions, including their last two against minnows Ostersunds and then Man City. Another defeat would mark three losses in a row for the first time since March 2016.
Wenger's side have only won four of their last 13 games when looking solely at Premier League form, which is nowhere near enough for a team with their lofty ambitions.
That run includes three defeats in their last five league outings and should they lose again tonight then it would be back-to-back top-flight defeats for the first time since August. This is their first league game since February 10, though, when they fell to defeat in the North London derby.
The main source of encouragement for Arsenal heading into tonight's game will be their home form, with Wenger's side having lost just two of their last 28 outings in front of their own fans, stretching back almost a year.
Once again that comes with an asterisk, though, as Arsenal's most recent home game saw them lose to Ostersunds and should Man City win then it will be back-to-back home defeats for the first time since March 2016.
The Gunners have been a lot better at home than they have on the road this season, though, picking up 32 points here compared to only 13 on the road, where they have also lost seven times.
Arsenal have only lost one of their last 20 Premier League home games and have won the last two, scoring nine goals in the process. It is at the other end where there is a big issue at the moment, though, with Arsenal having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last nine league matches.
There aren't many teams less suitable to come up against when going in search of a first clean sheet in a while either, with Man City having already plundered well over 100 goals in all competitions this season, including a whopping 79 in just 27 league games.
They added three more to that tally from all competitions against today's very opponents on Sunday of course, and it was the old guard who led the way on that occasion, with Aguero, Kompany and Silva getting the goals.
That triumph saw them end their wait for silverware under
Pep Guardiola, scooping the first trophy of a potential treble this season - another one of which seems to be sewn up already too.
City boast a 13-point lead over second-placed Manchester United as things stand, with tonight's game in hand too, and they have been champions-elect for some time now. Guardiola still refuses to say that the title is as good as won, but it is very difficult to see them having any troubles on that front.
© SilverHub
Indeed, City's tally of 72 points is the most ever by an English top-flight team at this stage of a season, and incredibly if they win tonight then they already will have equalled Arsenal's total of 75 points last season, with 10 games to spare.
City are a huge 27 points clear of tonight's opponents - a remarkable gap considering they are two of England's top teams - and will have their sights set firmly on Chelsea's record points haul of 95.
We have to keep in context any criticism when we talk about Man City as they have clearly been far and away the best team in England this season - and perhaps one of the best we have ever seen in this country.
However, by their own ludicrously high standards, their form has dropped a little bit of late, with Guardiola's side having dropped points in three of their last seven league games.
City have still won seven of their last nine outings across all competitions and an incredible 41 of their last 47 competitive games including the tail end of last season, with
Pep Guardiola having turned them into a winning machine.
Like Arsenal, this will be City's first Premier League game since February 10, and they thrashed Leicester 5-1 in their most recent one. City have now lost just one of their last 35 Premier League outings.
A big game awaits the champions-elect on Sunday too when they host Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium, but for now they will need to focus on improving their ailing away form.
City are winless in their last three league games on the road - a veritable nosedive in form by their standards. Indeed, City have picked up only two points from a possible nine in that time, whereas they had only dropped two points all season before that run.
Man City have not gone four Premier League away games without a win yet under Guardiola, with the last such occasion coming in December 2015.
Across all competitions City have 'only' won three of their last seven away outings - having won 15 of the previous 16 - and all three of their defeats have come on the road this season. Hope, perhaps, for Arsenal.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Emirates Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction!
It is hard to back against Man City in any game they play at the moment, particularly when Arsenal are in such poor form too. However, the home-away form of these two teams does make this prediction a little more difficult. Man City will be favourites, but we're backing a score draw.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Arsenal 2-2 Man City
As I have already mentioned, these two sides met just four days ago when Man City ran out 3-0 winners, and they were also on the scoresheet three times in the reverse fixture, with De Bruyne, Aguero and Jesus netting in a 3-1 win on that occasion.
Another victory here at the Emirates would see City do the league double over the Gunners for the first time since 1975-76, and would also see them become the first team to beat Wenger's side three times in the same season since Chelsea in 2005-06.
Man City's record away to Arsenal is surprisingly poor, though, with the league leaders have won just one of their last 32 top-flight visits to the Gunners, losing 20 of those.
That includes 20 visits to either Highbury or the Emirates in the Premier League era, with their only victory coming under Roberto Mancini in January 2013.
City's most recent visit here ended in a 2-2 draw as goals from Walcott, Mustafi, Sane and Aguero ensured a share of the spoils, and we should be able to expect goals again this evening.
Both teams have found the back of the net in eight of their last nine meetings in the Premier League, so a BTTS bet looks like a safe one this evening!
Right, the players are out on this freezing night at the Emirates, so let's have a quick recap of the team news before we get started...
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Mustafi, Kolasinac; Xhaka, Ramsey, Ozil, Mkhitaryan, Welbeck; Aubameyang
MAN CITY STARTING XI: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Danilo; Gundogan, De Bruyne, Silva; Bernardo, Sane, Aguero
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Arsenal get us underway at the Emirates!
There are an awful lot of empty seats at the Emirates Stadium this evening, which is no doubt down to the weather but could also be a reflection of Arsenal's recent poor form.
Arsenal will be relatively happy with the start they have made to this match, and they already look more capable of causing City problems tonight than they did at Wembley. Still very early days, though.
Ederson is alert here, and he has to be. Ramsey slides a pass into the box which Aubameyang is interested in, but Ederson sweeps up the danger.
CLOSE! City need a stroke of luck to stay level here! Ramsey latches on to a clever pass from Mkhitaryan before reaching the byline and pulling a low ball back into the box. Kompany clears it at the near post, but fires the ball straight into the chest of Ederson, who then collects. That could have gone anywhere!
SHOT! City immediately break down the other end, but Aguero's touch takes him wide and he slams his eventual shot into the side-netting.
This has been a good, even encounter so far. Man City are not dominating anywhere near as much as they did in the EFL Cup final, with Arsenal eager to respond.
SAVE! Ederson is called into action again here as Mkhitaryan drives a low strike towards goal, but it is a comfortable one for the Brazilian keeper.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Manchester City (Bernardo Silva)
Out of nothing, Man City break the deadlock in some style!
It is brilliant from Sane as he darts away from four Arsenal players, getting himself out of a tight situation before driving forward and feeding the ball out to Bernardo Silva. The winger collects it and then cuts inside onto his left foot before curling a fine finish past Cech and into the top corner.
That will be such a blow for Arsenal, who had started this match pretty well. They were undone by a moment of brilliance from Sane, but Bernardo was always going to cut inside onto his left so Kolasinac should have done better.
YELLOW CARD! Arsenal look to hit back quickly and launch a good counter-attack which eventually comes to an end when Otamendi bodychecks Welbeck. The Argentine gets a yellow card for his challenge.
SAVE! The resulting free kick is a long way out, but that never seems to stop Xhaka from trying his luck. This is a good strike from him, but Ederson turns it around the post for a corner.
CHANCE! Arsenal have responded really well to going behind! Bellerin breaks forward down the right flank and pulls a low ball into the box which Ramsey collects. It is a little behind him, but he manages to get a good shot away which Ederson does really well to hold on to.
We could have a very good game on our hands tonight. Arsenal have not let their heads drop following that Bernardo Silva goal and have looked far more likely to get the game's next goal since falling behind.
Silly challenge from Xhaka as he goes in late on Aguero, committing a foul and giving away a free kick in a good crossing position.
De Bruyne whips it into the box but it is just too far in front of Aguero, who can't get a touch. Cech fumbles it, but the flag is up against Aguero anyway.
Here is that opening goal, including a mesmerising run from Sane to set it all up...
GOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City (David Silva)
Oh dear, oh dear. It is harsh on Arsenal, but Manchester City are simply devastating here, doubling their lead in ruthless fashion.
Again Sane is heavily involved with a brilliant turn which again leaves his marker for dead on his way down the left flank. His cross picks out Aguero, who in turn puts it into the path of Silva. Silva's touch is perfect and he then sweeps his finish past Cech.
This is a big 15 minutes before half time for Arsenal. The few fans who have turned up may start to turn on the team if things get any worse, and City seem to be in a merciless mood tonight.
YELLOW CARD! Kolasinac becomes the first Arsenal player in the book for a late challenge on Gundogan.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-3 Manchester City (Leroy Sane)
This is so ruthless from Manchester City. They have been incredible going forward tonight, and it is another world-class team goal here.
Aguero turns away from his marker and bursts forward before giving the ball to De Bruyne, who in turn plays it through to Walker down the right. Sane darts to the near post in the middle and gets on the end of the cross at the same time as Bellerin. However, the ball deflects past Cech and into the bottom corner.
The boos were raining down from the home fans after that third goal, and they are now cheering when Arsenal get the ball back. Things are looking very bleak for the hosts right now.
Here is that second goal from Silva, and the brilliant team play which led up to it.
SHOT! Arsenal still look capable of causing problems going forward and Ramsey finds space to shoot here, but his effort is blocked by Danilo.
CHANCE! City just look like scoring every time they come forward now. This time a cross from the left finds Aguero at the near post and you'd expect him to score from this position, but Cech thwarts him with a good save.
The statistics are fairly damning for Arsenal at the moment...
Almost a chance for Arsenal again here as Ramsey surges forward once again. Neither he, Aubameyang or Ozil can get a clean shoot away, though.
Arsenal are ending this half quite well too, and on another night they could have had one or two goals. They have just come up against a City side on top, top form tonight.
Brilliant block from Otamendi here as he throws himself in the way of a flick from Welbeck, who had got on the end of a Mkhitaryan cross.
SAVE! Xhaka thumps another long-range effort towards goal, and again it is a good hit, but it is straight at Ederson who again holds on to it.
HALF TIME: Arsenal 0-3 Manchester City
The boos and jeers cascade down from the stands to greet the half-time whistle as Arsenal go into the break 3-0 down against Manchester City.
Arsenal have actually played much better than they did in the EFL Cup final, but they have come up against a magnificent City side in top form here. They have been ruthless tonight and have surely killed the game off already.
All three goals have been of a really high standard too, with Bernardo Silva getting the visitors underway in the 15th minute.
Sane raced away from four Arsenal defenders before playing the ball out wide for Bernardo, who was allowed to cut inside onto his left foot and curling a fine finish into the top corner.
Things only got better after that for City as David Silva joined his namesake Bernardo on the scoresheet following more really good work from Sane.
This time he darted down the left flank before picking out Aguero, who in turn nudged the ball into the path of Silva. The Spaniard's first touch on the move was absolutely perfect, and from there he made no mistake with his finish.
A third goal arrived five minutes later as Sane got in on the act himself - a deserved goal following a brilliant individual performance in that opening 45 minutes.
There was an element of luck over his finish as the ball crept in to the bottom corner, but the buildup was once again devastating as City cut Arsenal apart in ruthless fashion. Aguero, De Bruyne and Walker were all involved, leaving Arsenal defenders in their dust throughout the move.
KICKOFF: Man City get us back underway at the Emirates. Can Arsenal salvage anything from this game?
It will be interesting to see how Man City approach this second half too. They can afford to take their foot off the pedal a little with Chelsea waiting for them on Sunday, but they could look to make a statement here instead.
Some chants of 'Come on Arsenal!' rung around the Emirates Stadium. The fans, who booed their team off at half time, are at least trying to raise their spirits now.
PENALTY TO ARSENAL!
SAVED! AUBAMEYANG MISSES FOR ARSENAL!
Was that the chance for Arsenal to salvage anything from this game?
The hosts win a penalty as Otamendi gets the wrong side of Mkhitaryan and catches the Arsenal man with a clumsy swipe at the ball inside the box. Andre Marriner points to the spot but doesn't deem the offence worthy of a second yellow card.
Aubameyang steps up, but his penalty lacks power and isn't perfectly placed, allowing Ederson to get across and make a good save.
Two moments of madness from both keepers here! The first sees Cech almost caught in possession by De Bruyne, before a long ball forward releases Welbeck. Ederson comes a long way off his line despite Otamendi seemingly having it under control and ends up clattering into his own man.
This has been a strange game for Arsenal. The scoreline clearly looks bad given their recent form, but with a little more ruthlessness they could be well in this game.
CHANCE! Chance for Aubameyang to make amends here as the ball is lobbed over the top for the striker, who watches it over his shoulder and connects with his difficult first-time volley well. However, he fires it just wide of the target.
Here is that penalty save from Ederson. Arsenal may well have had a chance to get back into this game had it gone in...
Arsenal have actually dominated possession so far in this second half and have been the better team since the interval. City have not been as ruthless going forward, but then again the onus is not on them to attack.
Just 25 minutes remaining in this match now, and it is looking increasingly unlikely that Arsenal will find a way back into this match. Had they scored that penalty then things may be different, but Ederson's save looks like being crucial here.
City are beginning to take control of possession again now, knocking it about amongst themselves and just keeping it away from Arsenal.
MAN CITY SUB: Change for the visitors here as Walker is replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko. Walker is limping a little on his way off, so could be a doubt for the weekend game with Chelsea.
Man City were sloppy in the opening 20 minutes or so of this half, but their gam management since has been brilliant. They have completely controlled the last 10 minutes or so.
A reminder that this result will move Manchester City 30 points ahead of Arsenal. That is a ludicrous gap between two of England's top two teams, and it is as much to do with City's brilliance as Arsenal's poor performances.
Man City have only won here once in the last 32 top-flight away games against Arsenal, so this has been a real problem fixture for them down the years - another example of why this is such an impressive result.
CHANCE! Aguero almost gets that 200th goal as he breaks down the right channel before firing a firm low strike towards the bottom corner. Cech is alert, though, and makes a really smart save.
The snow is swirling around the stadium at the moment, and these can't be particularly good conditions to play football in. I think both sets of players will be happy to hear the final whistle now!
MAN CITY SUB: Another change from the visitors as Yaya Toure replaces Aguero. No landmark goal for Aguero tonight, then!
Arsenal have been better in this second half, but Man City have also taken their foot off the pedal. The hosts have simply been outclassed tonight.
MAN CITY SUB: A third and final change for Man City here sees Gabriel Jesus replace David Silva.
Just two minutes remaining in this match now, and the fans and players will be begging for that final whistle. It is freezing in North London.
'One Arsene Wenger' chant some fans inside the stadium, but I'm not sure whether they are Man City or Arsenal fans. I suspect the former.
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this match.
FULL TIME: Arsenal 0-3 Manchester City
A second 3-0 defeat for Arsenal at the hands of Manchester City in the space of just four days, and again boos greet the final whistle as things go from bad to worse for the Gunners.
Wenger's side were blown away in the opening 35 minutes by a devastating Man City performance as they cut through their hosts ruthlessly for all three goals. Bernardo Silva, David Silva and Leroy Sane got on the scoresheet, whereas Arsenal failed to make the most of their chances including a missed penalty from Aubameyang.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Man City cruise to a 3-0 win over Arsenal, with all of the goals coming inside the opening 33 minutes. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
