The Premier League returns from the international break in a massive way this weekend as league leaders Arsenal face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The teams are separated by just a single point at the top of the standings — with Liverpool also in the mix — and the outcome of Sunday's match could go a long way towards determining a title winner.
Arsenal and Manchester City were in a similar position last year, with the Gunners leading for most of the way until City took over the top spot with a late-season surge, so the North London side will be eager to stop that from happening again.
History is not on their side however, as the Sky Blues have won 15 of the last 18 meetings between the clubs. Despite this, Arsenal were victorious in the only previous competitive match against City this season, and a former longtime Liverpool defender feels that a corner has been turned by Mikel Arteta's side that will see them compete against the reigning treble winners better than in recent years.
“Arsenal are better – I don’t see Manchester City rolling them over," Mark Lawrenson said while speaking about the match to Paddy Power. "With the international break, walking off the pitch with a slight knock is a bit of a given, as well as players making debuts.
“I noticed that Kevin De Bruyne didn’t play for Belgium and Erling Haaland wasn’t in the Norway squad – they're just resting them. If you’re the national team manager, it’s annoying, but you know that they’ll be available for the big internationals. They’ll be raring to go [on Sunday].
“With Arsenal, hopefully they’ll continue with the form they’ve had, and they’ll have a top game.”
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