Preview: Arsenal look to silence their doubters against a high scoring Manchester City side
If we take a look back to August 2013, on the opening weekend of the 2013/14 English Premier League season, not many football fans would have expected the league table to look as it does.
Not only is Manchester City's four league losses a bit shocking, considering we are only 15 matches in, but Arsenal in first place may come as just as much of a shock.
The signing of Özil and the incredible form of Aaron Ramsey has helped propel the Gunners into the top spot, while they also have the best away record in the league. With five victories away from the Emirates, one draw and one defeat at Old Trafford, Arsene Wenger's squad goes into the Etihad on Saturday fresh off a defeat in mid-week.
A lackluster performance against Napoli on Wednesday may have some fans worried heading into this big clash, but the French manager believes that his side will have a chance to prove what they are all about.
"It is vital we make a statement," Wenger said in his press conference on Friday. "It is important, how important, I don't know, but it is important. We have been very consistent away from home."
"The only blip we had was at Manchester United and people forget that United had two shots on target on the day and they scored off a shoulder from a corner kick," he added.
Regardless of how they lost, the Gunners will not want to leave Manchester with another defeat, this time to the blue side of the city.
They will hopefully be able to count on Bacary Sagna for the match, after he missed the last two matches with an injury.
City will have a few injury concerns of their own, but nothing they should be very worried about.
Micah Richards could miss out on this fixture, after being forced off with an injury mid-week against Bayern Munich. The hosts will also still be without central defender Matija Nastasic.
But a positive note for Pellegrini will be David Silva's return to the Premier League, after he put in a solid performance at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
Manuel Pellegrini knows that taking points from Arsenal could be very important at the end of the season. A victory on Saturday would also allow them to cut the Gunners' lead to only three points heading into a very hectic next few weeks.
"This is our opportunity to take three important points from the best team in the Premier League at the moment," Pellegrini told reporters. "For Arsenal and for our team, this is a very important game. They play one day after we did in Champions League. Maybe our match was not exactly the same, but I don't think that will be an advantage or those things will decide the game."
From Arsenal's last 16 visits to the Etihad, the North London side has won 10, drawn two and lost only four. Meanwhile City is a perfect seven for seven at home, having scored 29 goals and only conceding two.
Where to watch this match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Manchester City vs Arsenal live on Saturday, December 14, 2013:
In Canada at 7:45 ET on: TalkSport Radio, TSN, RDS
In the UK at 12:45 BST on: BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC One, Arsenal Player
In the USA at 7:45 ET on: NBC Sports Live Extra, Mun2, TalkSport Radio, NBC Sports Network
Fans who will be following this match in Africa can do so on SuperSport 3 Africa. You will not want to miss this exciting match between two of the Premier League's best, so be sure to check the Manchester City vs Arsenal match page for full TV listings in your area.
