The
Premier League
dresses up before the most important game of the English season, which will have Manchester as the venue for the stellar event.
It is that, after several days in which
Arsenal
seemed to be heading alone to the title, this afternoon they can put their leadership in check at the hands of
Manchester City
.
Leader and escort of the championship face each other from 4:00 p.m. in Argentina in a duel that (practically) will define the champion of the English tournament.
With only 5 days to go,
Manchester City vs Arsenal is the duel that will mark the Premier season
.
What is attractive is not only what is at stake and the two teams that star in the match, but that at least since the previous one both clubs depend on themselves to be champions.
The
Gunners
, led by
Mikel Arteta
, are alone, five points behind their rival this afternoon.
The problem is that those led by
Pep Guardiola
are in second position with 2 fewer games played (vs West Ham and Brighton), so if they win, they would automatically take the lead.
Therefore, only
a draw is enough for the Citizens to aspire for the top
.
An important piece of information to take into account is the fixture that both teams have left in this final stretch of the league.
Arsenal is the one who has the most complicated path to the title
having matches against Chelsea, Newcastle and Brighton.
On the other hand, City have more accessible games left, at least since the previous one, with Chelsea and Brighton as the complicated ones, considering that Pep's men have to play two more games.
Arsenal will seek to maintain the lead against guard City.
Photo: SPORT.
The pressure is possibly on the side of the Londoners
.
Not only because of the blow on the table for which they must go this afternoon when trying to lower their pursuer themselves, but because the present they are going through is not the best.
Arsenal was the leader of the Premier for much of the season
, standing out for a high level of collective play, a reason that led many to believe that the English league would have a defined champion with several dates prior to the final stretch.
However, the last few games put Arteta's men at a fragile and delicate moment.
Three consecutive draws allowed City to get closer
and excited about surpassing Arsenal on points.
The equalities were 2-2 against Liverpool and West Ham, in which they were winning 2-0, and 3-3 against Southampton, achieving the tie at the last minute.
Also,
history is a factor that puts extra pressure on Arsenal
.
It's been 19 years since they failed to win a Premier League.
Since that team from
The Invincibles
by Arsene Wenger that the London team has not competed for the local title.
And this season his fans believe in the chance to break that streak.
A win today will secure them first place despite City's remaining games and they can start to stop looking to the past.
"We have to focus on ourselves. They can do a lot of things that you have to adapt to, so you have to focus on certain principles to try to play the game the way you want," the Arsenal coach said before the game.
A possible stage fright is the psychological factor that seems to take over Arteta's Arsenal
.
Not only has his performance faltered since he had to begin to assume the responsibility of being the leader of the Premier, but last season he failed to qualify for the Champions League after losing 2 of his last 3 league games, against Tottenham and Newcastle.
One more reason why they will seek to show that they are prepared to fight for the objective that they set at the beginning of the season.
Bukayo Saka, the figure and young promise of Arsenal.
Photo: Fichajes.com
On the side of the team led by Julián Álvarez and Máximo Perrone, this crucial duel could not come at a better time.
Unlike Arsenal, which only competes for a single front after being eliminated in all the remaining championships (Europa League and national cups),
Manchester City aims to stay with a treble
.
Last weekend he qualified for the FA Cup final, awaits the Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid and will seek to continue depending on himself by rescuing a valuable result this afternoon to also go in search of the Premier.
Pep Guardiola has not known defeat with his team for 16 games
, maintaining an extra boost for having eliminated Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals and suffering a streak of six consecutive Premier wins.
This undefeated player took advantage of it during the downturn in spirit and football that Arsenal suffered to shorten their gap to the five points that differentiate them so far.
A counterproductive fact that Manchester can suffer due to all the competitions in which it is still valid is the priority that it must apply to each one.
This is due to the fact that duels against Real Madrid may cause extra wear and tear to face Premier League matches, something that Arsenal will not suffer.
"It's an important game, we can win points against our main rival. But we have to be focused on ourselves. We've played Arsenal twice this season and they've been very tight, very complicated games," Pep said at the previous press conference to the match.
Haaland, the master key that City trusts.
Photo: FC Barcelona news
The previous duel between the two teams was during the first round of the season, where Manchester City was left with a 3-1 victory at Wembley
.
Another fact that those directed by Arteta will try to change.
From 4:00 p.m. in Argentina at the Etihad Stadium, with the presence of Álvarez and Perrone from the bench, Arsenal will seek to stretch their advantage to secure first place.
Instead, Manchester City will be worth a draw to rely on itself to seize the lead.
Guardiola vs Arteta: the teacher against the student
In
case this match lacked any more seasoning, it will have it on the substitute bench, precisely among the coaches of each club.
This is because Guardiola and Arteta do not have a common relationship, but both knew how to be teammates in the past and showed a great relationship.
During 2016, in Pep's first seasons after his arrival in England,
the former Barcelona decided to call Mikel to become his field assistant after he retired from football, a position he would occupy until 2019 when he became coach. from Arsenal
.
Therefore, both coaches know the way of working and setting up matches that each one has, being a match that will also have its appeal on the substitute benches.
Arteta, Pep's student for 3 years, will seek to surpass his teacher and win a "head to head" tournament.
Guardiola and Arteta together during their time as teammates in Manchester.
Photo: DAZN
look also
The dramatic takeoff of the plane that carried the women's squad of the English Arsenal and that almost ended in tragedy
After his good performance in Boca, Valentín Barco is being watched by Manchester City and Juventus from Italy