The Etihad Stadium plays host to what is being dubbed an early title six-pointer between the two most-fancied teams in the Premier League this Sunday, as champions Manchester City entertain their recent closest challengers Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola will once again host his former protege Mikel Arteta in a sub-plot of growing intrigue and importance, with Arteta desperate to finally get the better of his old master after falling short in each of the last two seasons.
Man City and Arsenal - in that order - have occupied the top two spots in the Premier League in both of the last two campaigns, but the Gunners closed the gap last term, from five points in 2022-23 to just two in 2023-24.
It is no surprise to see them occupying the top two places again in the early runnings of this season, then, although the perfection of Pep's players so far gives them a two-point advantage over Arsenal heading into Sunday's showdown.
Considering that was the final margin last year, it is no exaggeration to say that the result of this match could end up having a pivotal say in the title race, despite the very early stage of the campaign, and the very subject of a title race no doubt right at the back of both managers' minds after only four outings.
Nevertheless, it is undoubtedly a big game, and one which has caused plenty of debate as to who will come out on top.
Here, the Sports Mole team discuss whether they think it will be a home win, draw or an away win at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
Click here to read our full preview for this match.
Man City vs. Arsenal: Who will win?
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Barney Corkhill - Man City
At the risk of further digging myself into a hole, my pre-season prediction was for Arsenal to finally topple Man City and win the title this season, and it's too early for me to go back on that (yet).
However, in this particular match I can only see Man City coming out on top.
Both teams could be missing some big players, but Man City still have greater strength in depth and can bring in Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva or others to fill any void left by a possible Kevin De Bruyne absence.
Arsenal, on the other hand, don't have quite such a luxury when it comes to replacing their crucial captain Martin Odegaard.
Man City haven't beaten Arsenal in their last three attempts, and the Gunners are one of only two teams to stop them scoring at the Etihad all calendar year - the other being Inter Milan in their Champions League tie just a few days ago.
Arsenal therefore have every right to feel that they can come to the Etihad and grab at least a point - even what would be a statement win - but with the unerring Erling Haaland even more predictably prolific than ever in the league, I don't see Man City failing to score in two home games over the space of less than a week, even against Arsenal's miserly defence.
It should be interesting, but I think the champions will be the ones celebrating by the end.
Matt Law - Draw
The goalless draw at the Etihad last season was actually the first time that Man City and Arsenal had shared the points since April 2017, so draws have not been a regular occurrence between these two teams of late, but I'm expecting another stalemate here.
Martin Odegaard is such a huge miss for Arsenal, while Kevin De Bruyne is set to miss out for Man City, so the creative spark in both sides should be reduced.
Both teams will enter the game off the back of goalless draws, and it would not be a shock to see another one here.
Erling Haaland has made a stunning start to the new Premier League campaign, but Arsenal are a brilliant defensive side these days, and I'm finding it tough to pick a winner on Sunday afternoon, with a 0-0 or a 1-1 draw my pick.
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Ben Knapton - Draw
Based off both teams' toothless midweek performances, the absences of De Bruyne and Odegaard and the uneventful pair of meetings between them last season, some fans could be forgiven for resigning themselves to a dull watch in Sunday's main event.
Unfortunately, we can envisage that exact scenario playing out once again at the Etihad. Haaland may be on fire domestically, but Arsenal's back five is arguably one of the best on the planet right now, so another 0-0 seems inevitable.
Oliver Thomas - Draw
Just one goal was scored across two matches between Man City and Arsenal last season, and another tight top-of-the-table showdown could be on the cards at the Etihad this weekend, especially with both teams set to be missing their chief creators (Kevin De Bruyne and Martin Odegaard) through injury.
There is very little to separate these two sides at present; the battle between Man City's goal machine Erling Haaland and Arsenal's defensive warriors William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes is an intriguing one, but with neither team wanting to give too much away at this early stage in the campaign, I can see the spoils being shared in a low-scoring draw.
Carter White - Man City
Although only five games into the league season, a win at the Etihad against the reigning champions would represent the biggest statement result possible for Arsenal, who are winless since 2015 on the blue side of Manchester.
If not extraordinary, the Gunners have started the campaign in solid fashion and could be tempted to batten down the hatches on Sunday afternoon to avoid losing ground in the early stages of the Premier League title race.
The Citizens will be raring to make the net ripple again after surprisingly drawing a blank against Inter Milan on Wednesday and could be sharper than an Arsenal side who have one less day to prepare for the clash, leading me to make the measured prediction of a narrow victory for Pep Guardiola's troops.
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Andrew Delaney - Man City
City have looked imperious in all of their matches so far this season, and despite a very impressive defensive performance from Inter in midweek, Pep Guardiola's side still had enough chances to win.
Arsenal have had to settle for second behind City two years running now, and have not won at the Etihad since 2015, and with Mikel Arteta likely to set up for a draw, City may not be as a profligate in front of goal this time around when their eventual inevitable chances arrive.
Joel Lefevre - Man City
It is a shame that in a matchup of the top two Premier League title contenders we may not see arguably two of the best midfielders in Martin Odegaard and Kevin De Bruyne.
The loss of Odegaard, though, I believe, is a more significant loss for the Gunners as Phil Foden has proven he can be a capable facilitator, and this is his chance to show he can step into the Belgian's massive shoes should De Bruyne leave at the end of the season.
A Declan Rice return will help but I don't believe that'll be enough for Arsenal to win this weekend.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland has looked unstoppable to this stage of the Premier League campaign and is scoring goals from various positions inside the penalty area, and I don't believe that even the airtight Arsenal defence can slow him down.
It's been nearly a decade since the Gunners claimed maximum points in the Premier League at the Etihad, and I see that streak continuing this weekend with another Man City triumph.
Anthony Brown - Draw
As cliche as it sounds, what this fixture needs is an early goal for either side to prevent another tactical masterclass (read: borefest).
However, Arsenal's approach last week in the North London derby and Thursday's draw in Bergamo points to another stalemate.
Although it will be intriguing to see how Pep's City approach this fixture after last season's ills against Mikel Arteta's troops, this one seems destined for another tie. 0-0. Bore draw.
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Ellis Stevens - Man City
Man City have had the upper hand in this fixture in recent history, but Arsenal got their own back last season, remaining unbeaten across their three encounters with two victories and a draw.
All three matches were extremely closely contested, with just three goals scored between the two teams, and I expect another cagey affair between two sides that will be cautious not to award the other a potential early advantage in the title race.
That said, Erling Haaland has been in record-breaking form this season, and despite Arsenal conceding only once so far, they have looked vulnerable at times. Therefore, I am predicting a narrow 1-0 win for Man City, with the decisive goal coming from the prolific Norwegian.
Lewis Nolan - Man City
With Arsenal's metronome Martin Odegaard set to miss out on Sunday's clash, the Gunners could opt to play more defensively against Manchester City, but Erling Haaland will be a difficult man to stop given his outrageous form in front of goal.
Anthony Nolan - Arsenal
Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have often opted for a more defensive and counter-attacking approach when facing tough opposition, especially away from home.
Considering City's issues defending in transition, Arsenal are likely to score, and the Londoners have the defensive strength to keep a clean sheet and hold on for all three points.
With this in mind, I am predicting a 1-0 win for Arsenal this weekend.
Click here to read Man City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany's views on the game
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