Welcome to the Evening Standard’s LIVE coverage of Man City vs Arsenal.
Tonight's match at the Etihad Stadium is the second of two fixtures as the Premier League returns following it’s 100 day suspension due to the Coronavirus pandemic, with Aston Villa and Sheffield United drawing 0-0 earlier.
- GOAL! Phil Foden puts Man City 3-0 up
- Serious injury for Eric Garcia after Ederson collision
- GOAL! Kevin De Bruyne scores the penalty
- David Luiz sent off with straight red card
- GOAL! Raheem Sterling scores after David Luiz error
- Pablo Mari adds to Arteta's injury problems
- Injury blow for Arsenal as Xhaka departs
- Players take the knee for Black Lives Matter
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Team news and lineups
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Garcia, Laporte, Mendy, Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling
Subs: Aguero, Zinchenko, Rodri, Sane, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Carson, Foden
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Pablo Mari, Mustafi, Tierney, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Nketiah, Willock, Saka, Aubameyang
Subs: Ceballos, Lacazette, Maitland-Niles, Pepe, Luiz, Nelson, Martinez, Kolasinac, Martinelli
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Prediction: Man City 2-1 Arsenal
Arsenal will be heartened by recent results from the Bundesliga, which suggest that home advantage could be a thing of the past if there are no fans to get behind the hosts.
However, despite City's failure to reel in Liverpool this season, a big gap remains between them and the Gunners. Arsenal sit 17 points off City for a reason, and it's difficult to look beyond a home win.
One key factor Arsenal could bank on, though, is Arteta's deep knowledge of City's players and tactics. With three weeks to prepare to face his mentor Guardiola, Arteta will have a better chance than most of securing a shock result.
How to watch
TV channel: The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV with a day pass for £9.99.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app, with a mobile month pass available for £5.99.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Arsenal dominate this fixture historically with 96 wins to City's 56, and 45 draws shared.
However, City have won the last six meetings in all competitions.
City beat Arsenal 3-0 in north London in December, and their last five League meetings have seen City collect maximum points, scoring 14 goals to Arsenal's two.
Man City
With one trophy in the bag, Pep Guardiola can still end an otherwise disappointing season with a treble of cups.
The Premier League title may be heading to Anfield, but the one Manchester City want most of all - Champions League - is still within reach.
That will be the main focus for Guardiola’s team even as attention turns to the Premier League this week.
There will be even more pressure on City’s players to finally conquer Europe if the Court of Arbitration for Sport uphold Uefa’s two-year ban for serious breaches of Financial Fair Play.
A verdict is due next month - before European competition resumes in August.
Arsenal
It was Mikel Arteta’s positive test for Covid-19 in March that led to the Premier League suspending all fixtures.
Since then, Arsenal have had a busy lockdown, with nearly all first-team players, head coach and core staff agreeing a 12.5 per cent pay cut. The deal will reduce to 7.5 per cent if the team reach the Europa League and to zero if they secure Champions League football.
Prior to lockdown, they were unbeaten in the Premier League this calendar year and were showing signs of promise under Arteta.
Their first game back, at Manchester City on Wednesday, will set the tone for their run-in. Playing City, as well as Tottenham away from home in an empty stadium, could be an advantage. The FA Cup is a target, too, with Sheffield United their quarter-final opponents.
