Today sees one of the biggest games of City’s season for sure. If we do something today that we haven’t done since 1975 then we go back to joint top of the league with United, but more importantly we put five points between us and the chasing pack. A win today would be great, but then you have to think about Silva out of our team through injury and Ballotelli also out and the task becomes tougher.
In the game at Eastlands, City came off second best to an Arsenal side who beat us 3-0, however you may also remember that for 85 minutes we were playing a man down, having Boyata sent off after only five minutes. Despite that sending off I seem to remember us more than matching Arsenal on the pitch and it will be interesting to see what we can do when it is eleven against eleven.
In fact in that game the only stat that was dramatically in Arsenals favor was possession, 62% to our 38%. Not the kind of possession I think we would have enjoyed if not a man down.
Arsene Wenger has no fresh injury concerns after the Birmingham win, but Almunia, Diaby and Vermaelen remain sidelined. It will be interesting to see if he sticks with that team or rotates again. Now interestingly City’s away record is the second best in the league, six wins and collecting 20 points. The best is of course, Arsenal collecting a point more. We have kept 10 clean sheets this season which is the joint highest, although we have conceded a goal in each of our last four away days. On Arsenals side they have won back to back home games this season but never a third straight…..this is their third. Interestingly half of the goals they have conceded have been from set plays.
It will certainly be a chess match today and I am sure Mancini will line up his team accordingly. After all it is a must win for Arsenal, anything else and they stay below us. For us it would be really nice to win, we have the ability to win, but if we draw it is still a good point for us and if we lose the we are still enjoying our best season for a long time. Plus we have Edin Dzeko to look forward too!
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