At 20:30 on January 1, Beijing time, the 21st round of the 2021-2022 English Premier League staged a focus battle. Arsenal will face Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.
Confrontation record
This will be the 205th official match between the two teams in the history of the two teams. Prior to this, Arsenal had 98 wins, 45 draws and 61 losses. The two teams have played 49 times in the Premier League era, and Arsenal have scored 23 wins, 10 draws and 16 losses. The two teams met in the first leg of the Premier League this season, Arsenal defeated Manchester City 0-5 away.
Aspect 1: Arteta is infected with the new crown and missed the command of the game
Arsenal announced on Wednesday that coach Arteta tested positive for the new crown and is currently under quarantine and will miss the game against Manchester City on January 1. Arteta had been infected with the new crown in March 2020. It was his second infection. If nothing happens, Arsenal assistant coach Stuwen Borg will lead the team to direct the game against Manchester City. It is worth mentioning that before Arsenal’s game against Norwich on December 26, Arsenal officially announced that Phu An Jianyang, Niles and Cedric had tested positive for the new crown. These three players were in this field. The game may continue to be absent. For Manchester City, right back Walker has returned to the team for co-training and can play at Arsenal. Rodri and Stones are suspected of playing due to injury.
Aspect 2: Arsenal may be killed by Manchester City in ten consecutive league games
Since Guardiola took office, Manchester City have been crushing Arsenal in the league. According to statistics, Manchester City has won a wave of 9 consecutive victories against Arsenal in the last 9 league games. This is the record for the most consecutive losses of Arsenal against the same team in the history of the Premier League. This season, Manchester City has made great strides. Recently, they have scored ten consecutive victories in the league, ranking first in the Premier League and becoming the favorites to win the championship. Despite Arsenal’s recent momentum and a stable ranking at No. 4 in the Premier League, there is still a clear gap in overall strength compared with Manchester City. Manchester City undoubtedly has a greater chance of winning in this campaign. But Arsenal’s performance at home this season is very strong. So far, Arsenal is the second most points team in the Premier League this season, second only to Manchester City. Recently, the Gunners have won 5 consecutive victories at home in the league, and they are gaining momentum, and they will certainly not surrender easily.
Aspect 3: Sterling hits the famous record
Sterling has scored 7 goals in the Premier League this season and is the player with the most goals in the Premier League this season. In addition, against Arsenal in recent seasons, Sterling has repeatedly scored goals. According to statistics, in the last three league games at Arsenal, Sterling has scored goals. In the history of the Premier League, the only player who has scored goals for Arsenal in 4 consecutive league games is Anelka. During 2002-2009, Anelka scored in 4 consecutive league away games for Arsenal. , 2 of which were to represent Manchester City as a guest at Highbury, and the other 2 were to represent Bolton and Chelsea as a guest at the Emirates Stadium to break the gate of Arsenal. If Sterling scores in this game, he will tie or surpass Anelka’s scoring record.
Aspect 4: Aubameyang continues to be absent, young players carry the banner again
Aubameyang was put into the cold palace due to a disciplinary incident. He has missed 5 consecutive games before. This round of the focus of the battle against Manchester City, Aubameyang is still unable to appear. According to reports, Arsenal has allowed Aubameyang to advance. Leave the team and return to the Gabonese national team to prepare for the Africa Cup. In the absence of Aubameyang, the young Arsenal players will continue to carry the banner of the team, especially the young player Smith-Raw’s recent scoring efficiency. He has scored in the last 4 Premier League games. If this If he can score another goal in a game, he will become the third youngest player to score 5 consecutive games in Premier League history, second only to Anelka and Reyes.
Pre-match sound
Arteta (Arsenal coach): I feel better today. I have had a few difficult days, but it is clear that I have experienced this situation before, so I can still adapt. The other players on the team are in good condition. We communicate with them as much as possible. Of course, this also depends on our other players and coaches. I believe them 100%. Compared to when I left Manchester City, they are now a different team. In fact, they have been together for 6 years. Obviously, they have become perfect in every stage and every aspect of the game. The team’s cohesion and synergy are getting better and better. We are preparing for this game like other games, we know the opponents we will face. (Note: Arteta accepted the pre-match interview via video connection during the isolation period)
Guardiola (Man City coach): This is the best Arsenal in the past four or five years. There is no doubt that they are now in the top four. They are full of energy and Arteta has good coaching ideas, which proves that you need time to solve some things. I have a feeling that Arteta will not only change the team, he will also change the club. I am pretty sure he has worked hard for many things. Maybe he was not ideal at the beginning, but gradually he did well. We will face one of the best teams in the Premier League. They are at their best. This will be a tough game, but at the same time we also have a good chance. Then we have to prepare for the game against Chelsea and Southampton, which is why the game at Arsenal is decisive for us.
Injury report
Arsenal: Kolasinac (injured)
Manchester City: Rodri (suspicious), Stones (suspicious)
Predicted starter
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): 32-Ramsdale/4-Ben White, 16-Holding, 6-Gabriel, 3-Tierney/5-Thomas, 34- Xhaka/7-Saka, 8-Edgau, 35-Martinelli/9-Lacazette
Manchester City (4-3-3): 31-Edson/27-Cancelo, 3-Dias, 14-Laporte, 11-Zinchenko/8-Gondoan, 25-Fair Nandinho, 17- De Bruyne/26- Mahrez, 20- Bernardo Silva, 7- SterlingReturn to Sohu to see more
Editor:
Disclaimer: The opinions of this article only represent the author himself. Sohu is an information publishing platform. Sohu only provides information storage space services.
.