Man City vs Arsenal predictions: Our experts on who will win biggest Premier League game of season

Victory for either side would strike a significant early-season blow in the title race

The biggest match of the Premier League season so far takes place on Sunday with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal taking on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s side have won all four of their league games this campaign and will be hoping to take their points advantage over Arsenal to five with a win. Victory for the north London club would see them overtake City, however.
Telegraph Sport’s experts give their views on how the game will unfold.
Man City 2 Arsenal 2
Difficult one to call with so many key players missing. It’s so hard for any away side to win at the Etihad but Arsenal are the closest to it – especially with the insight Arteta has into the Guardiola mindset. Arteta has shown he can be very pragmatic away from home.
Man City 2 Arsenal 1
The smart money will be on another goalless draw. Arsenal will be expected to try to grind it out, as they did last season, especially without Martin Odegaard. But I think City will sneak it. They are playing well enough, they are at home and it feels like Erling Haaland will make the difference.
Man City 1 Arsenal 0
Arsenal’s failure to sign a top out-and-out striker may well cost them this season. Arteta’s team are brilliant at the back, but needed a set-piece to beat a below-par Tottenham Hotspur and could not score against Atalanta. Haaland is on fire and even William Saliba and Gabriel may struggle to stop him.
Man City 1 Arsenal 1
I think it is a game both managers will be happy not to lose and do not imagine either will leave a lot of space for the other to exploit.
Man City 1 Arsenal 0
Thursday’s draw with Atalanta was far from the most encouraging performance by Arsenal, who were clearly missing the creativity and technical quality of Odegaard in midfield. Arsenal’s superb defence impressed against City last season – if anyone can shackle Haaland, it’s Gabriel and Saliba – but the midfielders must be able to draw the sting from the game. Can they do so without Odegaard? It seems uncertain. If Arsenal cannot keep the ball higher up the pitch, they will come under enormous pressure over the course of the game. On this occasion, I expect that pressure to eventually tell.
Man City 2 Arsenal 0
A comfortable win for City to spark a post-match complaint/rant from Arteta over the new Champions League format which required Arsenal to play on Thursday night in Italy. He may have a point, too.
Man City 0 Arsenal 0
With so much at stake and Arsenal adopting the same tactics as last season, expect a cagey game.
Man City 1 Arsenal 1
If you had asked me before City were held to a goalless draw at home to Inter in midweek I would have tipped them to deliver an early hammer blow in the title race, but Arsenal got a draw at the Etihad last term and can do so again.