Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta will meet at the Emirates on Sunday (Picture: Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher fancies Arsenal to beat Manchester City at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, partly due to home advantage, but also because the Premier League champions are missing a key player.
The top two from last season meet in north London in the standout fixture of the weekend, with City leading the way early in the season and Arsenal sitting third.
Victory for the Gunners would see them leapfrog Pep Guardiola’s side, but an away win would see City move four points clear of Mikel Arteta’s men.
Beating the champions is no easy task, but both Newcastle and Wolves have managed it recently and Carragher reckons Arsenal will do the same.
Crucially for the Liverpool legend, Rodri remains suspended for City, with Carragher believing that will cost the visitors at the Emirates.
‘I’m going to go for Arsenal,’ Carragher said. ‘I think Arsenal just might do it with home advantage and with Rodri not playing, who is a huge player for Manchester City. So I’m going to go with Arsenal.
‘That’ll hopefully give us a title race between now and the end of the season because we can’t afford, as neutrals, I think we want this title race to go as long as it can possibly go.
‘Last season it did, it was brilliant between Arsenal and Manchester City but we don’t want City to be so far in front by Christmas and New Year that other teams lose belief.
‘It’s not great for the league. Hopefully Arsenal can get the three points.’
Arsenal are sweating on the fitness of two big players going into the game, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both fighting to return from muscle injuries.
Both forwards are struggling, but are yet to be ruled out of the contest.
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