There is no doubt that Manchester City are the most outstanding team in the Premier League at the moment, and have been brilliant for a lot longer than that. They are currently on an amazing run of a 10-game winning streak that has sent them 8 points clear at the top of the table.
It is also a fact that Arsenal are on an awful run of form against the League Champions, having lost our last 9 League games in a row against the Cityzens.
We have also lost our last 6 League games at the Emirates against them in a row as well, which is quite grim stats I agree, but we did have the satisfaction of beating them in the semifinals of both our last two FA Cup wins.
But games during the Xmas schedule are not so easy to predict, and with City having just had a narrow win 2 days ago at Brentford, they will not have had time for all their players to recover, whereas the Gunners have had a full week to rest after our destruction of Norwich and can probably field our very best team. This is the first cause for hope in my heart.
Secondly, historically Arsenal have played 7 home games on New Years Day in the Premier League era, and we have won every single one, which is very encouraging. In fact the last time we lost a home game on New Years was back in 1985.
Thirdly, with the crowds allowed back in stadiums again, Arsenal have turned the Emirates into a fortress, and we have only lost one game against Chelsea right at the beginning of the season, and in fact have won our last 5 home matches in a row.
These may seem like glimmers of hope to some Arsenal fans, but then again, when was the last time we felt tht we had any chance at all against Pep Guardiola’s team?
I will even go one step further and cite another stat, which is that Arsenal have scored 598 goals since the Premier League started so I am going to say we will get those two goals tomorrow to make it an even 600 before the New Year…
2-0 or 2-1 to the Gunners I predict!
COYG!
JA Statman