Man City ‘expulsion’ talk takes backseat as injury issues give Arsenal chance Arteta must take

The mind games ahead of Manchester City vs Arsenal may well be underway. Either way, the pressure is now on the Gunners to pull a result out of the bag.

Pep Guardiola appears to be dealing with a sudden injury crisis after a potentially damaging international break, with Kyle Walker, John Stones and Manuel Akanji all returning to their club with problems, while Norway striker Erling Haaland reportedly had an issue that turned out to be absolutely nothing.

It is hardly a positive for City and Guardiola to be without any of those players but it has shifted the expectation on to Arsenal ahead of Sunday’s humungous clash at the Etihad.

There is no doubt that the Gunners will take confidence from City’s sudden injury woes but any talk of this being a brilliant opportunity to win is made in vain. This is still Manchester City away. Unless the injury worries include both Haaland and Rodri, Guardiola’s side should be considered the favourites.

Time will tell about the seriousness of the injuries to Walker, Stones and Akanji, but it would be no surprise to see at least two of those three feature in some capacity on Sunday.

There are also question marks over the fitness of Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne, who did not feature for Brazil and Belgium during the international break. A return for both v Arsenal would surprise nobody.

Speculating over whether this is mind games from the City camp is exactly that – speculation. In an international break consisting of only friendly matches ahead of a major tournament, bosses around the globe will have been under strict instructions from club managers not to take any risks, meaning Walker, Stones and Akanji were always going to come off if they looked uncomfortable.

If you believe City are trying to pull the wool over Arsenal’s eyes, then you must believe that the same applies the other way around.

Bukayo Saka pulled out of the England squad before their first match of the break against Brazil and was afforded the rest he has been needing for some time. Saka is a player who has seemingly been playing with a knock for the best part of two years and it would be pointless for him to have played for his country this month. His absence appears to have been purely precautionary.

Uncertainty remains over the availability of Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli too, with the former in the same boat as Saka, not representing Brazil as a precaution. But Martinelli is a doubt. A return to the bench could be on the cards, which is not a huge blow given Leandro Trossard’s form. The Belgian will probably start regardless.

It is clear that both Arteta and Guardiola want to keep their rivals guessing but it certainly looks more worrying on paper for the latter.

While the drop-off in quality from Saka to Reiss Nelson and Gabriel to Jakub Kiwior is larger than any of City’s potential replacements, you would fancy both players to start at the Etihad, and the number of problems Guardiola – who is reportedly leaving the Premier League next year – is facing is cause for concern.

Losing three defenders on top of Ederson – while De Bruyne and Haaland struggle to stay fully fit – could derail City’s title push, which could also hit a snag or two given rumours of ‘expulsion’, titles being stripped and more as a result of the 115 financial charges clouding the Etihad.

Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne after a match.

Expulsion talk has massively helped us through the international break and while the 115 charges are a worry for City and Guardiola, their priority will be on the pitch amidst a spicy title race with Arsenal and Liverpool, on top of the quest for Champions League and FA Cup glory, with consecutive Trebles a realistic goal.

At the minute, there are bigger fish to fry and that starts with the visit of Arsenal on Sunday and overcoming these injury concerns.

The Gunners are made of stern stuff these days and surely have the ability and mentality to use City’s injury problems to their advantage, but with the pressure shifting ahead of a match at the Etihad, we will learn a lot about the title prospects of this team.

It is a place where they have had zero success under Arteta and what bigger statement is there than winning at home of the European champions? Not to mention the psychological boost that would give the Gunners ahead of a potential Champions League semi-final against their Premier League title rivals.

Arsenal’s form has been excellent, they have just made the last eight of the Champions League, and their title rivals – who might get demoted(!) – are depleted ahead of their visit. Even if City are still the favourites, this should be viewed as a chance Arteta and his players must take. The pressure of being widely expected to avoid defeat against Manchester City cannot get on top of them.

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