Title showdown this Sunday
Both 2015 XIs revealed 11 years on from last Arsenal win at the Etihad
©TM/IMAGO
It couldn't be set up more perfectly. Hunter vs hunted. Predator vs prey. Master vs apprentice. This Sunday, Mikel Arteta’sArsenal will go the Etihad to play Pep Guardiola’sManchester City in a game that will have almighty ramifications on who wins this season’s Premier League title. The Gunners are six points clear, but City have a game in hand (at home to Crystal Palace) meaning a Sky Blues win would put the title race firmly in their own hands. If both teams then win their remaining fixtures, it would go down to goal difference on the final day.
Club Comparison
Manchester City
Arsenal FC
Premier League
Premier League
€1.31bn
Market Value
€1.23bn
First Tier
League Level
First Tier
€301.80m
Expenditures 25/26
€294.60m
Pep Guardiola
Managers
Mikel Arteta
Full Club Comparison
If Arsenal get a point, as his been the case in each of the last two seasons in this fixture, they would be in a great position again and it would be out of City's personal grip. If the Gunners managed to win, they would essentially have one hand on the trophy. However, that's something Arsenal have not managed in 11 years. The last time they won at the Etihad was back in 2015 under Arsène Wenger. Let’s rewind the clocks and take at look at both XIs from that game back in January 2015 under the lights.
Arsenal XI last time they won at the Etihad
As illustrated in the graphic above, Arsenal won 2-0 that day thanks to a Santi Cazorla penalty and Olivier Giroud header, but who else made the Gunners XI? In between the sticks for Arsenal was Colombian David Ospina (Market value: €7m). At right-back was 19-year-old Héctor Bellerín (€500k), with his countryman Nacho Monreal (€10m) at left-back. The centre-back pairing was Laurent Koscielny (€20m) and captain on the day, Per Mertesacker (€20m). In holding midfield was Frenchman Francis Coquelin (€3m).
Ahead of him was Cazorla (€26m) and Aaron Ramsey (€24m). Chilean star Alexis Sánchez (€38m), the most valuable Arsenal player that day, started on the left-wing. Meanwhile, Englishman Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (€17m) was on the right flank. Leading the line was Frenchman Giroud (€20m). The entire Arsenal XI boasted a market value of €186m.
Man City XI last time Arsenal beat them at Etihad
For Man City, England shot-stopper Joe Hart (€16m) was in goal. At right-back was Argentine Pablo Zabaleta (€19m), with former Arsenal man Gaël Clichy (€11m) at left back. The centre-half pairing was captain Vincent Kompany (€33m) and Martin Demichelis (€2m). Man City played two holding midfielders in Fernando (€15m) and Fernandinho (€32m).
Ahead of them was the magic David Silva (€40m), with the industrial James Milner (€14m) on the left of midfield and Spaniard Jesús Navas (€20m) on the right. Leading the line was Argentine Sergio Agüero (€45m) – the most valuable player in either of the line-ups that day. The entire City XI had a market value of €247m.
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