ARSENAL will face fierce competition from fellow European giants for Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze.
Liverpool and Real Madrid are believed to be among the sides who are interested in the Nigerian, who has just over a year to run on his contract.
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he has the "best recipe" to stop Erling Haaland when his side visit the Etihad tomorrow.
The Gunners are reportedly in pole position for £100million West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.
MAN CITY VS ARSENAL – BETTING TIPS AND BEST ODDS
Stay up to date with all the latest news from the Emirates Stadium
- Etienne Fermie
Arteta on Gunners game plan
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has spoken of how his side must address tomorrow's crunch title clash with Man City.
He said: "We have to focus a lot on ourselves.
"But we still need to understand what they can do. We have to be prepared for those changes, which is a lot because of what they can do in the beginning, they can do that in 20 minutes, at half-time, and in the last 20 minutes.
"You have to be really prepared for that.
"But this cannot absorb your energy to be constantly adapting to what they do and we have to focus on our strengths in how we can cause them problems.”
Credit: Reuters - Etienne Fermie
Arteta on Man City threat
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has spoken to the press ahead of his side's huge match at Manchester City tomorrow night.
The Spaniard said: "Obviously, we have worked on their threat as well as we have worked on their weaknesses and we know where they are.
"The issue with City is that they start with the goalkeeper – they are a threat when the ball is with him. You have to control every single player.
"But we just focus on ourselves: we know what they want to do, what they’re going to try to do and they can do various things.
"They can play with a box inside, they can play with a diamond, they can build the game with three, they can be asymmetric on one side, they can pull one out on the right and play a diamond, they can put [Kyle] Walker higher."
Arteta then went on to add: "They can do so many things that you have to be able to adapt to, so you have to focus on certain principles to try and play the game how you want.”
- Etienne Fermie
Supercomputer predicts title race
Three draws in three games means Arsenal's trip to Manchester City is a do or die encounter.
A supercomputer has calculated both teams' chances of winning the title based on the three possible results from Wednesday's crunch clash.
Arsenal fans are already well aware of it, but a loss would effectively put an end to their title charge.
Defeat at the Etihad would leave the Gunners with a lowly nine per cent chance of winning the Premier League, according to Opta.
Even a point at the Etihad makes City strong favourites for the trophy.
If the game does end all square, Pep Guardiola's side will have a 72 per cent chance of lifting the title.
But a win for the Gunners would put them in the driving seat to win the Prem for the first time since the 2004 Invincibles.
However, Opta have given Arsenal just a 15 per cent chance of taking all three points back to North London.
- Etienne Fermie
Gunners in Wolves ace chase
Arsenal are reportedly set to revive their interest in Wolves star Pedro Neto to boost their Champions League campaign.
That’s after failing with a £50million move for the winger last summer.
Mikel Arteta was keen on landing Neto before the start of the season as competition for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Neto established himself as one of the Premier League’s brightest young wingers before suffering several serious injuries.
And Football Transfers claims he is back on Arteta’s shopping list after returning to action last month.
- Etienne Fermie
Arsenal face Chukwueze competition
The Gunners are reportedly among five clubs chasing Villarreal star Samuel Chukwueze.
Liverpool and Real Madrid are believed to be among the sides who are interested in the Nigerian, who has just over a year to run on his contract.
Chukwueze has enjoyed a brilliant season for the Yellow Submarine, notching 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.
The 22-year-old winger was the star man when Villarreal beat Real Madrid earlier this month in a game that was overshadowed by Federico Valverde's spat with Alex Baena.
Chukwueze scored twice at the Bernabeu to underline his potential.
Defensa Central report Arsenal, Liverpool and Real Madrid are all keen to swoop for the star.
But other Premier League clubs including Everton, West Ham and Aston Villa are also believed to be in the hunt.
- Alex Smith
Arteta has Haaland plan
Mikel Arteta believes he has the "best recipe" to stop Erling Haaland when Arsenal visit the Etihad.
Haaland has scored 32 Premier League goals this season but Arteta has a plan to stop him that relies on a key tactic.
When asked how Arsenal would stop Haaland from scoring, Arteta added: "Preventing the source is the best recipe.
"We are working on their threats and their weaknesses. We know what they are. With City it starts with the goalkeeper. Just focus on us.
"We know what they can do. They can do so many things that you have to be adaptable.
"You can't compare him [Haaland] to anything else. He is able to do that because the set-up is suited to him and he has good players around him.
"With him they have the capacity to play in a different way.
"You can't give anything away. Big teams will punish you if you give things away and we have done that before."
- Alex Smith
Supercomputer predicts…
Arsenal fans have been left reeling after a supercomputer predicted their Premier League crunch match against Manchester City.
Opta's system has suggested that Pep Guardiola's side have a 62.6 per cent chance of winning the clash.
While Mikel Arteta's title chasers have only been given a 15.1 per cent chance of claiming the vital three points.
But the supercomputer has estimated that if Man City win the tie, than their chances of retaining the Premier League title will be significantly boosted.
The Citizens will see their chances of lifting the trophy at the end of the season increase to 91 per cent.
If Arsenal win though, it is still suggesting that the race will be a tight one, with them only having a 51 per cent chance of going on to win the league.
- Alex Smith
Tale of the Tape
Man City welcome Arsenal to the Etihad on Wednesday for a mouth-watering title clash.
Just five points separate the two sides and City have two games in hand over their rivals.
That means Mikel Arteta's side must win to keep things in their hands, though their recent record against the champions is abysmal.
City have won the last 11 Premier League clashes between the pair and have not lost to the Gunners at home since January 2015.
Arsenal have won just one of the last 15 meetings – a 2-0 FA Cup semi-final win in 2020.
Here is how these two heavyweights compare.
- Alex Smith
Guardiola's thoughts
Pep Guardiola has spoken to the media ahead of his Man City side facing Arsenal tomorrow.
He said: "Of course, they have it in their hands too, because if they win it depends on them. The destiny will be in their hands.
"But if we win, definitely the destiny will be in our hands. Then we still have seven games left.
“It’s really good to be here. After the first round of the Premier League, [with what] Arsenal have done, it’s difficult to think we are here in that moment.
“So it’s a really, really important game because we can get points and our biggest opponent this season cannot.”
- Alex Smith
Arteta: Title won't be decided tomorrow
Mikel Arteta believes that the title race will not be decided tomorrow in the crunch clash between Arsenal and Man City.
Arteta said: "The biggest game is the next one, and the biggest game of my career was the game we played against Southampton because if we had won that game, we would have been in a much better position.
“Then it will be City and then it will be Wolves, the last one. Is it the biggest one? Yeah. So that it going to change every single week."
On if it's winner takes it all at the Etihad, he replied: "No, I don’t think so. If we win tomorrow night we haven’t won the league, for sure."
- Alex Smith
Ex-City boys experience key
Mikel Arteta has said that the experience that Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have from winning trophies at Man City will be vital to whether Arsenal can hold their nerve.
The boss said: "For sure. I think experience is key when you’ve been in those moments, to handle those moments and to understand the importance of certain things when you are competing in a football match.
“The capacity to transmit as those two players have done for the rest of the team – a lot of things that are very, very important. Some of the rest of them are young but they’ve played a lot of games already.”
- Alex Smith
Arteta maintains belief
Asked if Arsenal still have what it takes to win the league after recent setbacks, Mikel Arteta said: "One hundred per cent.
"But we knew from the beginning that City was the team to beat, probably with Liverpool, because of what those teams have done in the last six or seven years, they’ve fully deserved that credit and to be at the top.
“We were the ones that wanted to be closing that gap as much as we possibly could, and we are toe-to-toe with them. We knew we had to go to the Etihad, we know that after that they are going to have another five very difficult games.
“That game is going to be really important – if it’s going to define the season, the answer is no.”
- Alex Smith
Xhaka could miss City clash
Arsenal could be without Granit Xhaka for tomorrow's huge clash.
Mikel Arteta admitted: "Granit has been out.
"Hopefully, he will be able to train today but he’s still a doubt.”
- Alex Smith
Saliba out of Man City clash
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that William Saliba is not expected to play against Man City tomorrow.
He said: "There’s not been a real improvement, unfortunately for him. So, we are still waiting.
"We are still hopeful but obviously, it’s another week that has gone by and he hasn’t been able to train with the team.
“We are preparing for this game without him and the next game, obviously, it’ll probably come too soon as well. We have to go week by week for the moment."
- Alex Smith
Double Act
Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are the first team-mates aged 21 or under to hit over 20 goal involvements in one season since Wayne Rooney and Cristaino Ronaldo managed it for Man Utd.
Saka has scored 13 times and got 11 assists in the Prem this season.
Meanwhile, Martinelli has netted 15 and contributed with five assists.
- Alex Smith
Underrated hero?
Micah Richards believes that Gabriel Martinelli is not talked about enough and he has the speed to hurt Man City on the break in tomorrow's title-decider.
The former right-back said: "His pace is frightening. Everyone has talked about Saka and Odegaard, and the two defenders, Gabriel, Saliba, and Ramsdale.
"But not that many people talk about Martinelli. In transition, he is frightening."
- Alex Smith
14-year wait
Arsenal are hoping to end a 14-year wait and win the FA Youth Cup.
The team the last time they made the showpiece featured the likes of Jack Wilshere, Luke Ayling, Francis Coquelin, Henri Lansbury and Jay Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.
As for the Hammers they have not won the cup since the star studded team of 1999 that featured Micheal Carrick and Joe Cole.
- Alex Smith
Youth Cup Final
Arsenal meet West Ham in the FA Youth Cup final this evening.
The match kicks-off at 7pm at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal's Under-18s are managed by Jack Wilshere with prodigies like Myles Lewis-Skelley and Ethan Nwaneri set to play.
However, West Ham have their own talents that the Gunners must keep an eye on after they won the league and sit a huge 16 points clear at the top.
Divin Mubama could be the star for the Hammers. The striker has netted a Conference League goal for the first-team this season.
- Kiro Evans
Will He Stay?
Crystal Palace have offered Wilfried Zaha a lucrative new contract amid interest from Arsenal, according to reports.
Zaha's £130,000 a week five-year deal expires this summer.
He is wanted by several high-profile clubs across Europe and Palace have rejected offers for him in the past, with Arsenal previously making a move in the summer of 2019.
Now the Eagles have made one more bid to keep Zaha by offering him £200,000 a week, according to The Guardian.
That would make him by far Palace's highest-paid player in their history, and tie him down for four more years.
- Kiro Evans
Net Gain
Arsenal are reportedly set to revive their interest in Wolves star Pedro Neto to boost their Champions League campaign.
That’s after failing with a £50million move for the winger last summer.
Mikel Arteta was keen on landing Neto before the start of the season as competition for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Neto established himself as one of the Premier League’s brightest young wingers before suffering several serious injuries.
And Football Transfers claims he is back on Arteta’s shopping list after returning to action last month.
- Kiro Evans
Goodbye Ainsley
Ainsley Maitland-Niles revealed yesterday his 20-year long career with Arsenal is coming to an end.
The club deciding against extending his contract with the 25-year-old currently on loan at struggling Southampton.
While he fell out favour at the Emirates in recent years, he was once a useful utility player at the club and got into double figures for Prem appearances for four seasons in a row.
In total, Maitland-Niles made 132 senior appearances and scored three goals for the Gunners having joined the club's youth team in 2003.
- Alex Terrell
More from Mertesacker on Wilshere
The German added: "I was sitting with Mikel and Edu and that was the moment of truth.
"It was brilliant the way he explained what kind of coach he wants to be.
"I have no regrets about putting him in that situation because he delivered."
Wilshere's kids beat Manchester City 2-1 in the semi-final earlier this month to book a spot in tonight's Emirates showdown with West Ham.
Mertesacker said: "His ambition is to go and be a first-team coach but I'm not letting that happen at the moment.
"I am super happy he and his team have reached this final."
- Alex Terrell
Jack has been Shere class
Jack Wilshere leads Arsenal into tonight's FA Youth Cup final against West Ham having already won the biggest battle of his coaching career, writes Mark Irwin.
For nine months after being put in charge of the club's Under-18s, Jack the Lad is showing a serious side which many doubted even existed.
Forced into retirement last year at the age of just 30, most people in football thought that was the last they would see of the former England midfielder.
But Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta spotted Wilshere's ferocious work ethic while he briefly trained at the club to keep fit at the end of last season.
And academy head Per Mertesacker was so impressed by his former team-mate's commitment, he convinced the club to recruit him to their permanent coaching staff.
Mertesacker now admits: "I had a perception about Jack as a player being super talented but probably not fulfilling his potential because of all the injuries he had.
"I never saw him as someone who would make the move into coaching but he has proved me wrong."
- Anthony Chapman
Good morning Gunners fans
William Saliba is expected to miss Wednesday's crunch clash with Manchester City.
The Gunners travel to the Etihad on Wednesday night for a MUST-WIN match if they’re to get their hands on the Premier League trophy.
But France international Saliba is expected to miss the title-race six-pointer with the lower-back injury which has kept him out of action for the North Londoners’ last five matches.
Arsenal, however, are assessing his condition.
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, has been urged to consider signing former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane – whose future at Bayern Munich is up in the air – in the summer.
Former Gunners midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong told Lord Ping: “Sadio Mane would be a great signing for Arsenal, especially with the young players that we have, he will be able to play on the wings or down the middle.
“We have players like Trossard, Martinelli and Saka and if we had Mane in the mix to get us through tough competitions, we would be powerful.
“I can imagine Sadio Mane in an Arsenal shirt for sure.”
Defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles has confirmed he'll depart the club at the end of the season.
He told The Athletic: “It’s been a great journey but it has come to an end now.
“It’s time for a fresh start and to find a new home. I’m looking forward to that but, at the same time, my head’s not quite there yet and it’s all about what’s happening now with Southampton.
“I’m just fully focused on trying to help us stay up and stay positive on a day-to-day basis and win games.
“When the time gets closer towards the end of the season, I’ll have something else to think about. But right now, I’m just focused on football and the task at hand.
“Southampton is a great club to be at and progress and get some minutes under my belt. Of course, if they were to make an offer, I’ll be more than happy to stay.”
- Chisanga Malata
Gunners eye Neto
Arsenal are reportedly set to table a summer bid for Wolves winger Pedro Neto, it's been claimed.
The Gunners were interested in signing the Portuguese ace in the summer but never tabled an offer for his services.
But according to reports, Arteta has given his personal blessing for the club pursue to pursue a deal for the winger.
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