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Genuine title challengers for the first time in a generation, Manchester City find themselves in unfamiliar surrounds at the start of 2011 and their newly-won credentials face a stern test on Wednesday with a trip to third-placed Arsenal, who themselves have designs on ending a trophy drought, albeit a considerably shorter one.
Not since the late 1970s have City troubled the very top of the league table but they currently occupy joint top spot alongside Manchester United, even if Sir Alex Ferguson's unbeaten side have played two games fewer. Arsenal, with one game in hand over City, are two points back on the Mancunian pace setters but are the division's top scorers with 42 goals. City boast the league's meanest defence, having conceded only 16 times in 21 games, and it remains to be seen whether Roberto Mancini will go on the retreat and sacrifice attacking flair for solidity. With Mario Balotelli and David Silva both missing out due to injury, James Milner could come in.
Arsenal - fresh from impressive victories over Chelsea and Birmingham with their first-choice starting XI over the holiday period, and a draw at Wigan without - secured a 3-0 win at Eastlands earlier in the season but the result was distorted by a red card shown to City defender Dedryck Boyata after only five minutes. It is likely that a tighter test awaits in North London, and a defeat would once again lead to accusations of fatal inconsistency in the Gunners camp. However, Arsenal are brimming with confidence and are unlikely to make changes from the side that sauntered to a 3-0 win over Birmingham.
Arsenal player to watch: Robin van Persie. The Dutchman appears to have supplanted Marouane Chamakh in the starting line-up following his return from injury but is some way short of his best. Though he scored his first Premier League goal of the season against Birmingham on New Year's Day, Van Persie was also guilty of a string of misses and was involved in two moments of controversy - appearing to dive to win the free-kick from which he scored and escaping punishment for a handball in the Arsenal box. If picked ahead of Chamakh again, Van Persie will need to be more ruthless and less of a liability against City, and will need to demonstrate why, when fit and on form, he is one of the finest forwards in European football.
Manchester City player to watch: Yaya Toure. The Ivorian had a trial with Arsenal in 2005 but passport issues meant the Gunners were unable to unite him with brother Kolo, though it remains the suspicion that Wenger did not entirely rate him either. Certainly, the midfielder has impressed since joining City from Barcelona this summer, revelling in a more advanced position to what which he was asked to occupy at Camp Nou. Yaya is City's driving force in midfield and also adds a touch of finesse in the final third.
Key Battle: Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri vs Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry. Arsenal's creative hub will take on City's destructive force in the battle for midfield superiority that could decide the game. Nasri and Fabregas were both outstanding in the 3-0 win at Birmingham, exchanging passes with a level of intuition that evoked Andres Iniesta and Xavi, and City will need to suppress the two attacking talents if they are to get anything from the game. Key to their hopes of doing so are holding midfielders Barry and De Jong, who will be instructed to close down the Arsenal pair at every opportunity and deny them the space to carve City apart.
Trivia: Kolo Toure made 225 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, which is far in excess of the joint tally of their four current centre backs, Johan Djourou (54), Thomas Vermaelen (36), Sebastien Squillaci (15) and Laurent Koscielny (15).
Stats: Manchester City's last victory at Arsenal came in October 1975 - a run of 28 games in all competitions.
Odds: Arsenal (1.9), Manchester City (4.00) and the draw (3.60) are available with bet365, while an action-packed 2-2 draw comes in at 13.00.
Prediction: This meeting of two title contenders is a very difficult game to call. If Arsenal are in full flight they will be hard to restrict, but City have the players to do just that. A draw looks a fair bet.
Source: http:// soccernet.espn.go.com/preview/_/id/293070?cc=4716
