There is no such thing as a Premier League title game, or championship game, but Wednesday night certainly comes close.
You may as well call it the Premier de facto title tilt, even though it is not a de jure title match. And honestly, what else really needs to be said then about Manchester City hosting Arsenal, in terms of pregame preview analysis?
Arsenal at Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Wed Apr. 26, 8pm, Etihad Stadium
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Team News: Arsenal Manchester City
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal Manchester City
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 17% Manchester City 62% Draw 21%
PL Standing: Arsenal 1st, 75 pts 32 matches played Manchester City 2nd, 70 pts 30 matches played
PL Form: Arsenal DDDWW Manchester City WWWWW
That says it all doesn’t it? Anything else is just kind of add-on bs, right?
Manchester City Team News
Pep Guardiola has two fitness concerns here- Phil Foden is back in training, and that puts him in contention to feature for the first time since prior to the international break. He has now recovered from an emergency appendectomy.
“He was on the bench in Munich after two training following two, three weeks without training,” said manager Pep Guardiola.
“Every day that passes he’ll be better.”
Meanwhile Nathan Ake has reportedly strained his hamstring and he won’t be available for this BIG GAME. Not much is known right now about the extent of the injury not his timeline for return.
“I don’t know,” said Pep before yesterday’s FA Cup semifinal win over Sheffield United. “He’s [Ake] not ready for tomorrow but I don’t know the damage.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.