‘THIS IS BIG BOY STUFF’ – ROY KEANE CONFIDENTLY PREDICTS MAN CITY VS ARSENAL RESULT

Former Man Utd captain Roy Keane has confidently predicted Man City to beat Arsenal on Easter Sunday but Ian Wright completely disagrees.

The Gunners went top of the Premier League before the international break by beating Brentford 2-1, while title rivals Liverpool and Man City drew 1-1 at Anfield.

Roy Keane: Arsenal are not winning there

Arsenal are now in front of second-placed Liverpool on goal difference with Man City one point behind the pair ahead of the last ten games of the season.

Liverpool host Brighton on Easter Sunday before leaders Arsenal travel to Man City in a huge match in the title race and Keane is confident that Pep Guardiola’s side will come out on top.

“This is big boy stuff now,” Keane said on The Overlap. “Arsenal are not winning there. Arsenal are not winning at Man City.

“I’m going 2-1 City. Arsenal aren’t winning there. You’re all getting kidded, I’m telling you.”

But Arsenal legend Wright thinks the Gunners will beat Man City as Mikel Arteta’s men “have to go for it” if they want to win the Premier League title.

Wright added: “We’re going to beat them. You know why I’m saying that? Because we have to beat them.

“Why should I not think we can win when we’ve got a great defensive record and we’re scoring goals? Why should I now go negative on our chances?

“I think Arsenal will win. We have to beat them, we have to go for it.”

Former Goal and Football.London journalist Charles Watts has also previewed the crucial Premier League title clash between Man City and Arsenal.

Watts wrote in his Caught Offside column: “It just doesn’t get much bigger than Sunday’s game. You can’t really call it a title decider, given there is another team involved in the title race. But the side who wins on Sunday will get a huge bolt of momentum going into the run-in.

“For Arsenal it’s massive. They may be top at the moment, but they are still considered the outsiders by most and that is largely down to the difficulty of some of the away trips they still have to make between now and the end of the season. But if they can go and win at the Etihad, then it will certainly show that they now have what it takes to go the distance, unlike last season. And they will absolutely back themselves to go and get a result. This is what they have been playing for all season.

“I think it’s going to be really tight, but for the first time in a long time, I think Arsenal can win at City. They have the quality, they have the players, and most importantly now, they have the belief. If you want to win the title, you have to stand up in the big moments and win games like this. Arsenal have already shown they can beat City this season and they believe they can do it again.

“The midfield is going to be key and it will be really interesting to see how Mikel Arteta sets his team up. Ideally, Thomas Partey would be fully fit. If he was, I have no doubt he would be in the XI. But he’s looked rusty since returning from his long injury lay-off and in a game as intense as Sunday’s, you have to have players who are fully up to speed.

Watts: Sunday could come too soon for Partey

“Partey did clock up just over an hour in a behind closed doors friendly against QPR last week, which is a good sign, but I still think Sunday might come a bit soon for him in terms of him returning to the starting XI.

“City dominated the midfield battle at the Etihad last season. Rodri was superb and Kevin De Bruyne ran riot. Arsenal can’t afford to let that happen this time around, so I think Arteta will go with Jorginho and Declan Rice and he might play the two of them as a pair, rather than have one playing on their own in the deeper role in front of the back four. We’ve seen Arteta use Jorginho and Rice like that before this season with some success and it wouldn’t surprise me if he did that again on Sunday, with Martin Odegaard operating ahead of them in more of a traditional No.10 role than we usually see from him.

“I do expect Bukayo Saka to be fit. From the conversations I’ve had, I do not get the impression that his withdrawal from the England squad is much to be concerned about. The issue was described to me as a ‘slight muscle injury’, but it’s not thought to be serious. Arsenal will make a late call on Saka, but the hope right now is that he will make the trip to Manchester.

“Martinelli’s foot injury is far more of a concern. He was on crutches the night of the Porto game and so he is a real doubt. You would think Leandro Trossard would start if Martinelli misses out, although Gabriel Jesus is an option on the left, especially as I expect Kai Havertz to keep his place as the central striker.

“Elsewhere, Takehiro Tomiyasu should be involved in the squad, but Gabriel Magalhaes is in a similar position to Martinelli. It will be touch and go, but Arsenal hope he will shake off the injury that saw him withdraw from the Brazil squad. Jurrien Timber has been in full training for a while now, but the fact he didn’t get any minutes in the QPR friendly makes me think it is still early for him to be in contention for the game at the Etihad.”

2024-03-29T11:24:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd