Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will be without defender John Stones for their blockbuster Premier League clash against Arsenal this evening.
THE LOWDOWN: CITY TRAVEL TO NORTH LONDON…
City travel to north London tonight knowing a win against Mikel Arteta’s side will take them level on points with their fierce title rivals.
The Sky Blues were really losing ground against Arsenal but the latter side’s 1-0 loss to Everton and 1-1 draw at home to Brentford has gifted Guardiola an opportunity to seriously close the gap.
Arsenal still have a game in hand on City but both teams must play each other twice in the league, including tonight’s encounter, before this season ends.
THE LATEST: CITY WITHOUT STONES…
In terms of team news, star striker Erling Haaland is apparently touch and go for the Emirates Stadium bout whilst England international Stones is definitely absent with a thigh problem.
The centre-back remains sidelined for City with Guardiola potentially turning to Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte in the middle.
That being said, Guardiola’s recent line ups indicate we can’t rule out surprises, with Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake also in real contention.
THE VERDICT: BLOW FOR PEP?
Stones, when available, is clearly favoured by the Blues boss, with only Akanji playing more league minutes in terms of City’s current defensive options (WhoScored).
The 28-year-old is also an elite ball-playing defender, averaging the joint-highest pass accuracy (94.3%) in Guardiola’s squad (WhoScored).
Stones has played a significant role in City’s back line for the past year with his one of his most notable performances coming against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals last season.
The former Everton star was heralded for his assured and composed performance against the La Liga giants with members of the media quickly calling him an ‘absolutely magnificent’ defender.
Stones has been a consistent member of Guardiola’s title-winning squads since the Spaniard took charge, and for such a huge game, he will be sorely missed as an option.
Pep Guardiola insists Man City will fight for the league right to the end Just Arsenal News
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola remains confident that his team will continue to fight for the Premier League title despite having trailed Arsenal for much of this season.
City added Erling Haaland to their squad in the summer and the Norwegian has been in superb form so far.
The Citizens believed he could help them easily retain the league title, but that has been far from the case.
Although their main rivals Liverpool are struggling, Arsenal has emerged as a new force and as both clubs prepare to meet each other, Guardiola insists they will fight until the end.
The City gaffer said via The Daily Mail: ‘The biggest motivation is that I don’t want to drop the Premier League just because we are not who we are.
‘If they beat us because they are better then this is sport, I’ll be the first to congratulate them, as I’ve always done. But not because we are not there. You want it? OK, fight. Take it. It’s in our hands.
‘We’ll defend this title until the last day. This is what I’d like. To fight to the maximum to try to retain the title. If we don’t, accept it, but we need to give our best. My players have to feel that every day.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
City has been winning several trophies every season since Pep came to England and we do not expect them to give up on this one.
The game against them is a must-win for us and our players must enter the field ready to give all they have to secure victory.
WATCH Mikel Arteta discuss the problems with referees ahead of the big Man City clash..
Source: footballtransfertavern.com; justarsenal.com
