Great opportunity for Arsenal to stay another week on top but the game of this Sunday at Etihad will be really a tough one.
Yes it will, but at the same time I think there is something to take heart from. It is fair to say that this is genuinely a 50/50 game.
That would be the first time this could be said in years. Last year everyone knew Arsenal would come up short at the Etihad, and they did. This year we beat them in the Charity Shield and then at the Emirates, We outplayed them both games. This year we have Saliba (unavailable last year) as well as Rice in midfield and Havertz who has now (somewhat surprisingly) fully integrated into the team. Not sure on injuries for either team.
I believe Arsenal should be strong mentally (as will City) so it should be an even game. It might come down to a few moments of individual brilliance and Arsenal might lose, but...I find it hard to imagine City will dominate us like last year. If they do, fair enough. But I think it will be a tight game and both teams might leave the pitch with heads held high.
Of course the game is incredibly important regarding the Premier League championship, but this is when we need to remind ourselves this is where we wanted to be...challenging for the Premier League once again and going deep in the Champions League. We might not win either, but we are a stronger team than last year and this summer we should be able to strengthen further. Once more, since the winter break, we have been playing some of the best football in Europe.
Yeah, I would love to stuff City at the Etihad and come to that, Bayern at the Emirates but we have got to enjoy the process....which will come with some ups and downs.
