Big Match Feature: Man City v Arsenal

Arsenal’s upcoming clash with Manchester City on Sunday presents numerous intriguing matchups. At its core, this is a pivotal encounter between the league’s most prolific attack and its most resilient defense. Catch all the action live on SuperSport at 5:30pm CAT.

Erling Haaland enters the game in sensational form, having scored nine of City's 11 goals so far this season, with an impressive shot-conversion rate of 47.37 per cent.

Since the beginning of last season, no team has matched City's home scoring average of 2.7 goals per match.

However, Arsenal managed to stifle Pep Guardiola's side twice last season. In particular, a determined 0-0 draw at the Etihad in March saw Mikel Arteta's team break a remarkable streak of 57 consecutive Premier League home games in which City had found the back of the net.

WHAT THE STATS SAY

Manchester City are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League home games against Arsenal (W7 D2) since a 2-0 defeat in January 2015.

Arsenal earned four points against Manchester City in the Premier League last season, double the amount they had from their previous 15 such meetings with the Citizens (W0 D2 L13).

Arsenal kept a clean sheet in both Premier League meetings with Man City last season, having conceded at least once in their last 16 against the Citizens beforehand (40 goals in total).

Arsenal have won 99 of their 211 meetings with Manchester City in all competitions (D47 L65). They’ve only reached triple figures for victories against Everton (111), while it’s the most defeats the Citizens have suffered against an opponent in their history.

Having won their first four Premier League games this season, Manchester City are looking to become the first team in English top-flight history to win their first five in five different campaigns, previously doing so in 1912-13, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2023-24.

Arsenal haven't trailed in any of their last 11 away league games and could become the first side in Premier League history to go 12 successive matches on the road without falling behind in any (Aston Villa – also 11 between March and November 1998).

Manchester City have won each of their last 13 Premier League games – in the competition’s history, there have only been six cases of a team winning 14+ in a row, with the Citizens (and manager Pep Guardiola) responsible for half of those (18 in 2017, 15 in 2019 and 15 in 2021).

Man City striker Erling Haaland has scored nine goals in four Premier League games this season. The fewest appearances any player has taken to reach double figures in a single campaign is six, by Mick Quinn in 1992-93 and Haaland himself in 2022-23.

Man City’s Erling Haaland has scored eight goals in his last three Premier League games, netting hat-tricks against Ipswich and West Ham, and a brace against Brentford. In Premier League history, only Luis Suárez has scored multiple goals in four consecutive appearances (hat-trick and three braces in December 2013).

Bukayo Saka has been involved in five of Arsenal’s six Premier League goals so far this season (1 goal, 4 assists), assisting a goal in all four games so far. In Premier League history, only Thierry Henry (2004-05) has provided an assist in each of a team’s first five matches in a season.