“He’s the only good player Arsenal have and the best in the Premier League, all my teammates are afraid of facing him tomorrow…But he’s just wasting his time at the club, he must join us if he really want to win trophies”: Man City superstar praises Arsenal player and urged him to leave the club immediately
First meets second in Sunday’s Premier League main event, as champions Manchester City and closest challengers Arsenal collide in a clash of the titans at the Etihad Stadium.
The mouthwatering matchup is already a top-of-the-table showdown, as Pep Guardiola’s men have made a perfect start to proceedings with 12 points from 12 on offer, while the Gunners have won three and drawn one of their opening four affairs in 2024-25.
Both teams have some European wrongs to right, though, as Man City were held to a goalless stalemate by Inter Milan in their Champions League opener, before Arsenal also had to accept a 0-0 result against Europa League holders Atalanta BC.
Prior to their stalemate in Bergamo, Arsenal emerged triumphant by a goal to nil over North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, where Gabriel Magalhaes nodded in a corner from Bukayo Saka, already the Englishman’s fourth assist of the campaign.
Played: 11
Won: 1
Drawn: 1
Lost: 9
Goals: 2
Assists: 1
The numbers unsurprisingly do not make for positive reading for Saka, whose 11 matches against Man City for Arsenal have only brought one victory, in addition to one stalemate and a whopping nine defeats.
The 23-year-old has only been responsible for two goals and one assist against the reigning Premier League champions in that time, and the one helper came for Leandro Trossard’s equaliser in the 2023 Community Shield.
Saka’s first Premier League experiences against Man City were entirely forgettable, though, as he was involved in both Premier League defeats in the 2019-20 season, playing 50 minutes as a left-back in his first appearance against the Citizens.
Mikel Arteta’s men memorably overcame Man City 2-0 in the semi-finals of the FA Cup that year, but Saka was an unused substitute in that Wembley win, before establishing himself as a regular starter in the Gunners XI.
However, another four defeats followed for Saka and Arsenal across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, although he scored his first goal against Man City in the latter year, breaking the deadlock on New Year’s Day 2022 before the 10-man Gunners lost their lead right at the death.
Saka then made it back-to-back goals against Man City in February 2023, netting from the penalty spot after Kevin De Bruyne broke the deadlock, but goals from Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish propelled City to a 3-1 success on that day.
Arsenal finally banished their Man City curse at home in the 2023-24 season, but Saka was unable to take part in that 1-0 success due to a thigh injury, before completing 78 minutes of the goalless stalemate at the Etihad over Easter.
While Man City are not one of Saka’s favourite opponents, the attacker has already had a hand in five of Arsenal’s six top-flight goals this season, and he could now emulate 2004-05 Thierry Henry as just the second Arsenal player to provide an assist in each of the Gunners’ first five games of a Premier League season
