The Gunners were defeated for the fourth time in their last five Premier League matches prior to the international break, losing 3-1 to a West Bromwich Albion side who had previously been beaten by Crystal Palace and Everton. The loss led to further discussion about Wenger’s future - the Frenchman, who has managed the north London club for two decades, is out of contract in the summer and has not yet put pen to paper on an extension - but Arsenal first need to focus on climbing back into the top four. The margin separating them from the Champions League spots now stands at six points, and although the Gunners have a game in hand on fourth-placed Liverpool, their latest setback at The Hawthorns saw them fall below Manchester United for the first time since the early weeks of the season.
Manchester City were involved in a frenetic and pulsating game last time out, drawing 1-1 with Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. Both teams created enough chances to have won the match, but in the end Guardiola seemed happy enough with a point given the strength of his players' performance. The stalemate means City are five points clear of fifth spot heading into this weekend's crunch clash at the Emirates; although they have generally been much improved in 2017, remaining unbeaten in their seven Premier League fixture since the nadir that was January's 4-0 thrashing by Everton, Guardiola will know that there is still work to be done before City can begin celebrating Champions League qualification.
Arsenal will be without Santi Cazorla (leg) and Petr Cech (calf), but Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will both be fit after knocks. City’s preference for a high defensive line means Sanchez will probably be preferred to Olivier Giroud up top, while Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey should resume their partnership in the centre of the hosts’ midfield.
City, meanwhile, will have to make do without Gabriel Jesus (foot) and Ilkay Gundogan (knee), who are both out for the remainder of the campaign. Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane will continue as an exciting front three, with Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva providing support from midfield. At the back, John Stones will be joined at centre-half by either Aleksandar Kolarov or Nicolas Otamendi.
Given Arsenal's recent woes, it is probably worth backing Manchester City to emerge victorious on Sunday afternoon. The fact that both sides are significantly stronger going forward than at the back means this is likely to be an open and entertaining affair, and City have the attacking firepower to do damage to the home side in the final third. An away win with both teams to score therefore looks like the way to go from a betting perspective, while Sane would be a sensible selection to find the back of the net anytime.
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