Arsenal – Manchester City Prediction & Picks (12.08.2018)

The Premier League is bursting out of the top matches and in the first round it is immediately hit: a renewed Arsenal will receive champion and Community Shield-holder Manchester City on Sunday in the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal:

For 22 years Arsenal and Arséne Wenger were inextricably linked. That alliance came to an end last season and it is a bit like Amsterdam without its canals or a Rotterdam without an Erasmus bridge, or you can hardly imagine it. However, this weekend after more than eight hundred races, someone else will be sitting on the couch at Arsenal, namely the Spaniard Unai Emery. He has to take this Arsenal to a higher level, something Wenger did not manage last year – it was the worst season for Arsenal under Wenger, who had to settle for a disappointing sixth place.

Emery does not play Champions League this season with Arsenal, but did see Champions League-worthy purchases arrive at the training complex of The Gunners. For example, Arsenal reinforced the rear with Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund) and Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen). In addition, Arsenal Lucas bought Torreira away from Sampdoria and Matteo Guendouzi from FC Lorient. In principle, Emery can have a good team at Arsenal this season, but that is what has been said. This Arsenal will want to compete for a ticket for the Champions League, but Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool seem to have more quality in advance. In any case, Emery against Manchester City could have a virtually fit group, because the Arsenal players did not play a World Cup and those who did so were eliminated fairly early. That might also say something about this Arsenal.

Manchester City:

Manchester City last year won the Premier League and The Citizens are not only going for the Premier League this year, but also for the Champions League. The selection of The Citizens is broad enough to actually perform in both tournaments and the Pep Guardiola team is a favorite with the bookmakers to win both the Premier League and the Champions League. The first prize this season was already caught last weekend by Manchester City. The Citizens managed to win the Community Shield with a half-basic team at the expense of Chelsea: 2-0. Sergio Agüero was responsible for the two goals of The Citizens and especially the young Philip Foden excelled in the outfit of Manchester City.

Last Thursday, the transfer market closed in England, but at Man City they had their affairs in order a few weeks ago. Only Daniel Arzani was added to Manchester City’s selection on the last day of the transfer, but he will not be taken directly to the base. Guardiola – unlike his great friend José Mourinho – did not really have a list of potential reinforcements ready this week, because every position at City is already double occupied.