The Premier League is back and after a series of intriguing games yesterday, we’re set for our first Super Sunday of the new season with three more games to enjoy. Whilst two of them are certainly intriguing, we all know that the ‘main event’ of sorts is set to go down at 4pm today when Arsenal host Manchester City at the Emirates. The reigning champions have been tipped to do big things yet again this season, and when you analyse their squad, that wouldn’t be all too surprising to see.

Alas, a lot of fans will be believing that the Gunners can cause the upset, especially when you consider how much of a positive atmosphere new manager Unai Emery has brought to the club. It really does feel like there’s much more of a ‘community’ feel amongst the fans, and while the situation with Stan Kroenke isn’t ideal, that doesn’t mean that the fans should stop getting behind the club.

Today’s game is the equivalent of a cup final for Arsenal in more ways than one, and that doesn’t feel like the most ridiculous of statements to make. They’ll be heading into this game knowing that a win, or even a draw, would be a huge statement of intent for the season ahead because City are already considered to be the runaway favourites to repeat as champions.

They’ll need a lot of luck and they can’t afford to make any major mistakes, but such is the nature of English football that we just can’t tell one way or another. Getting beaten for pace at the back is going to be something that they’ll need to keep an eye on, with the Gunners’ back four being required to not put a foot wrong – and if they do, there could be some serious problems given the visitors’ overwhelming attacking prowess.

In truth, nobody really knows what to expect from Arsenal, given that Emery is a man who seems to be pretty reserved when it comes to how he’s going to set the team out. We’re obviously going to see a lot of emphasis on feeding the ball through to Aubameyang and Lacazette, who are undoubtedly two of the biggest and best strikers in the top flight this season. Still, though, they need to find the right kind of openings to ensure that creative freedom, and that all starts from the very first whistle.

Setting a tempo in the middle of the park will be key for Arsenal because City are so good at dictating the pace of any given game they play in. Whilst it might be risky, it could be worth playing youngster Guendouzi in order to see how he fares with this kind of situation. After all, the worst thing that can happen is he has a bad first half and is taken off – but the best thing that can happen is that he showcases his potential for the world to see.

Manchester City are quite obviously the favourites to win this, and if they get an early goal it’ll be easy for Arsenal to drop their heads. Alas, if that happens, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not Emery is able to pick them back up from that – even more so than Arsene Wenger used to do. A lot of teams will subconsciously show respect to City this season given what they were able to achieve in the 2017/18 campaign, but Arsenal really can’t afford to do that.

They need to be in their faces from the word go, and they need to show some physicality to really try and intimidate them. It’s going to be a close game, and we believe that the Gunners can come away with a 1-1 draw.

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