Mikel Arteta can graduate from pupil to master as he faces off against his old mentor Pep Guardiola in unquestionably the most important match between the two budding rivals.
Arsenal host Manchester City in a pivotal Premier League title bout, with the Gunners holding a slim three-point lead atop the table plus a game in hand. Arteta, once an assistant at Man City under Guardiola, now leads the charge, but recent form has brought even bigger meaning to this game at the Emirates.
With the Arsenal lead at the top of the table once as high as eight points, the Gunners have dropped points in three straight league games, and while Man City have also displayed cracks at times, they have done enough to tighten the gap.
As both sides search for their previously dominant form, an intriguing match provides oodles of storylines from which to feast before, during, and after the top two Premier League teams clash.
MORE: Breaking down Arsenal’s odds to win the 2022/23 Premier League title
How to watch Arsenal vs Man City
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Wed, Feb. 15 | 14:30 ET | — | Peacock |
| UK | Wed, Feb. 15 | 19:30 GMT | — | Amazon Prime |
| Australia | Thu, Feb. 16 | 06:30 AEST | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | Wed, Feb. 15 | 14:30 ET | — | fuboTV Canada |
| India | Thu, Feb. 16 | 00:00 IST | Star Sports Select 1 | JioTV, Hotstar VIP |
| New Zealand | Thu, Feb. 16 | 08:30 NZST | Sky Sport | Sky Go |
| Malaysia | Thu, Feb. 16 | 03:30 MT | Astro SuperSport 3 | sooka, Astro Go |
| Singapore | Thu, Feb. 16 | 03:30 SST | Hub Premier 1 & 2 (Ch. 221-222) | StarHub TV+ |
| Hong Kong | Thu, Feb. 16 | 03:30 HKST | Now Premier League TV (Ch. 620-621) | Now E, Now Player |
UK: This Wednesday evening match in the UK will be carried by Amazon Prime’s streaming service.
USA: The match will only be available on streaming service Peacock.
Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.
🏃♂️ Upping the intensity
The squad are put through their paces ahead of tomorrow evening’s @premierleague clash with Manchester City pic.twitter.com/zUHhNwcZqO
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 14, 2023
Arsenal vs Man City projected lineups & team news
Long-term absentees Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny remain out for this match, and Emile Smith Rowe is still working back from a thigh injury, but otherwise Arsenal have a fully fit squad. Reiss Nelson has returned to training in his recovery from a thigh problem, but this match may come just a tad early for the young winger.
Selection wise, there are very few true decisions for Mikel Arteta to make, as he’s established a pretty clear starting lineup. There could be one choice at left-back, but Oleksandr Zinchenko appears to be playing well enough to hold off a recent push from new signing Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Ramsdale (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko — Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka — Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
The biggest focus for Man City will be on star striker Erling Haaland who was withdrawn over the weekend at halftime of the win over Aston Villa, leaving his status for today’s match uncertain. If Haaland can’t go, it would be Julian Alvarez to step in up front. The only other concern for Guardiola is centre-back John Stones who has been sidelined for a few weeks with a foot injury.
Guardiola will have choices to make at the left-back position, with Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis available for selection, or Ake could also enter if Guardiola chooses a three-defender lineup. Switching to a four-defender formation would mean a harsh sacrifice for a midfielder, either Ilkay Gundogan or Bernardo Silva, unless he drops Jack Grealish to instead put Silva out wide.
Man City projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson (GK) — Walker, Dias, Laporte, Ake — Rodri, Silva — Mahrez, De Bruyne, Grealish — Haaland.
PEP 💬 [On injury updates] We train this afternoon. Right now I don’t know. Yesterday was about recovery from Aston Villa. That’s all.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 14, 2023
Arsenal vs Man City betting odds & lines
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and Neds (Australia).
Despite Arsenal’s exceptional home form this season, unbeaten at the Emirates in the league, Manchester City are a slight favorite on hostile ground. That’s no surprise, as the betting market has stuck with Man City for much of the season, despite Arsenal’s significant advantage atop the Premier League table. It took Arsenal pushing to an eight point lead for them to become title favourites, and with that lead back down to just three, Man City have retaken the mantle.
While the betting market does believe that both teams will find the back of the net with relative certainty, there are questions regarding the overall game flow of this match. The over 2.5 goals total is only a slight favorite, meaning there’s respect shown for two of the top three defensive setups in the Premier League.
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction |
SkyBet | Neds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal win | +185 | +174 | 19/10 | 2.85 |
| Draw | +240 | +224 | 5/2 | 3.40 |
| Man City win | +140 | +150 | 13/10 | 2.35 |
| Both teams to score Y / N |
-155 / +105 | -167 / +106 | 8/13, 6/5 | 1.62 / 2.20 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
-130 / -110 | -123 / -103 | 4/5, 10/11 | 1.82 / 1.98 |
| Man City -0.5 | +125 | +134 | — | — |
| Arsenal +0.5 | -185 | -173 | — | — |
Credit: sportingnews.com