Former Chelsea star, Chris Sutton has predicted Manchester City to defeat Arsenal 2-1 in their Premier League clash at the Etihad on Sunday.

Man City and Arsenal, both clubs who have battled for the title for back-to-back seasons, would meet on Sunday, September 22.

Both teams played out 0-0 draws with two Italian sides, Inter Milan and Atalanta in the round 1 of the UEFA Champions League this week.

They both will be aiming to return to winning ways as Pep Guardiola’s City have looked unstoppable this season.

Man City have won all four of their games in the Premier League and scored 11 goals in the process.

In contrast, Arsenal are second with 10 points, having drawn 1-1 against Brighton last month.

Sutton provided a detailed explanation on why he thinks Man City would beat Mikel Arteta’s boys.

He said via Metro, “Arsenal got a lot of praise for the way they shut out City here for a draw last season, but they then lost the title race by two points.

“Of course that left them open to anyone who wanted to be ‘Captain Hindsight’ – like I did when I turned the result around and used it to question the Gunners.

“Yes, that criticism was harsh but we are talking about the fine margins between finishing first and second. Inter Milan showed on Wednesday that you can hurt City at the same time as keeping them quiet, and they were very brave with the way they were playing out. They surprised me actually, because they beat City’s press very easily.

“I don’t like to back against Arsenal because, defensively, they are so strong. They have also won all but one of their 11 away Premier League games in 2024 – the exception being that draw at the Etihad in March – and have kept nine clean sheets.

“That is incredible and, if they wanted to, they could cause City problems on the counter-attack too, the same way Inter did.

“I was at that game and thought City were well below their best. Erling Haaland was quiet and Kevin de Bruyne might not be fit to face the Gunners after getting injured before half-time.

“Still, it is almost two years since City failed to score in two successive games – October 2022, when they drew 0-0 in Copenhagen in the Champions League and then lost at Anfield in the Premier League. I am expecting a reaction, and I don’t think they will be as flat as they were on Wednesday.”

The former Premier League star predicted the game to end 2-1.

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