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Guardiola: “We started (this race of games) in Paris, then afterwards Chelsea, so we are already there with regard to difficult games. The schedule is what it is.

“It always happens in the Premier League, they always put the hardest ones (fixtures) – they are always so friendly with the calendar. For many years it happens. We had a great success in dealing with this calendar. It’s always been the way we accept what I don’t complain because we won the treble. “

Team news

David Raya missed the Midweek Champions League victory was lifted.

England’s duo Ben White and Bukayo Saka remain out after knee and hamstring surgery, while Takehiro Tomiyasu and former city man Gabriel Jesus are also missing with their own knee injuries.

Rodris ACL injury, picked up in the reverse fixture, has hampered the city all season, but he could be back before the end of the season. Ruben Dias, Jeremy Doku and Nathan Ake have been sitting in the latest games, and Guardiola admitted that they will not be in the form of the time for this game.

Oscar Bobb is back in training after a bone fracture, while January arrivals Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis everyone can join again after being unjustified in the Champions League. Kyle Walker joined AC Milan on loans earlier this week.

Speaking tactics

Adrian Clarke who writes in The official match day program: The city has switched between a 4-1-4-1 and a 4-2-3-1, with the use of Kevin de Bruyne decisive, as the setup of Guardiola prefers. If he is leaning against a possession-based attacking approach, the Belgian will usually play as No. 10, but if not, he will become a box-to-box midfielder in a gameplan that is more suitable for breaking with speed of quick transitions.

On average, a league-high 61% of the possession, City wants to monopolize the ball. Transmitting our press by walking along to Erling Haaland is an obvious fuck if he is left with 1V1 with a marker, but Roving Left -back Joos Gvardiol also likes to make dangerous races beyond the defensive line. He can be professionally picked out of keeper Ederson or a central defender.

City has had more shots than any other team, and has netted a division hill nine times outside the box. Egyptian star Omar Marmoush is added to their ranks this month, scoring 15 goals in 17 starts for Eintracht Frankfurt before the move, so his finishing must be respected.

However, Rodri’s absence means that the city has also been more susceptible to counter-attacks through the middle, and only three Premier League pages have been exposed to more shots from quick break, and their unusually porous defense has limited them to only five clean sheets in 23 matches .

Facts and statistics

We are unbeaten in 13 Premier League matches and have won the most points on any side from MD11 onwards (29). We have never had a longer undefeated race under Mikel Arteta, last time 14 goes without a defeat between August and December 2018.

City has lost only one of their last 40 league games played from January to the end of the season (W33 D6). They are undefeated in their last 23 of these games across the last two campaigns.

We have scored most goals via set pieces (12, excluding pens) in the Premier League this season, while City has admitted joint-femmy goals (2, level with Brentford). One of them, however, was Gabriel’s goal in 2-2 draw in September, and five of the last 10 goals we have net against City have come via corners.

39.6% of the minutes played by Manchester City players in the Premier League this season
has been given to players aged 30 years or older.

Phil Foot has scored in four consecutive Premier League matches for the very first time, while scoring more Premier League goals so far in 2025 than any other player (6).

Kevin de Bruyne has 12 goal involvements in 14 Premier League starts against us, while his eight goals are more than he has steered against any other side in the competition.

City is undefeated in their last nine Premier League matches in London, since their losses at Emirates Stadium in October 2023.

Manchester City has won more points from losing positions than any other side in the Premier League this season (17), where five of their 12 wins come after admitting the first goal.

Match officials

Peter Bankes will be the man in the middle, the third time, he got one of our games this expression after our New Year’s Day Gains at Brentford and the League Cup success in Preston North End. We have lost only twice in 10 games during his guard, both of which came in Southampton in 2021 and 2022.

He has handled two Manchester City matches this season, the last one saw them losing 2-1 to Aston Villa in December. While he has never booked more than two players or awarded a penalty in some Gunners game, he has pointed on the spot five times in 14 Premier League matches this period.

Judge: Peter Bankes
Assistants: Eddie Smart, Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth Office: Anthony Taylor
Was: Paul Tierney
Assistant was: Craig Taylor

Latest visit from the city

Last season saw us end a 12-match losing row of home and away against the city with the permission of a 1-0 win in October 2023, sealed by an 86th minute strike by Gabriel Martinelli. This means we could win consecutive home matches against City for the first time since 2009.

In the previous February, City jumped to jump us at the top of the table with the permission of a 3-1 victory where Kevin de Bruyne opened the scoring before Saka equalized from the penalty. However, the second half from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland strike the game.

Guardiola’s team had previously looked up in N5 on New Year’s Day 2022, when a last minute Rodri goal snapped victory for visitors. Saka had given us the lead, but a Riyad Mahrez punishment and a red card for Gabriel changed the game.