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Cesc Fabregas has backed Arsenal to secure all three points in their upcoming Premier League clash against Manchester City on Sunday (September 22). The former Spain midfielder has predicted a 2-1 scoreline in favor of the Gunners.
Arsenal and City have battled it out in two entertaining title races in the English top-flight over the past two seasons. However, both campaigns have spelled the same conclusion, with Manchester City successively defending their crown.
The Gunners have had a strong start to the season this term, recording three wins and a draw. However, the north Londoners remain short of Pep Guardiola's side, who are yet to drop points.
The two sides will lock horns in a crucial league encounter at the Etihad this weekend. Previewing the fixture on the Planet Premier League podcast, Cesc Fabregas said (via Metro):
"I’m going for 2-1 to Arsenal. There will be goals. I’m pretty sure there will be goals. I think you lose this weekend, it doesn’t have a big impact into the mind of the players, you know, going forward into the season, because there is still so many games to play."
The former Arsenal midfielder added:
"Now, you lose this game in March, then that’s a big deal. We might see a little difference in terms of approach from the teams. It’s always been a very 50-50 game, you know, because they respect each other, they know all their weaknesses, they know their strengths."
The Gunners will face Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on Thursday (September 19) before they take on Manchester City this Sunday.
"He has a game plan" - Cesc Fabregas explains how Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will approach Manchester City fixture
Cesc Fabregas believes Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will not push his team forward against Manchester City this weekend.
Last season, the Gunners secured a 1-0 victory over City in their first league fixture of the season at the Emirates courtesy of Gabriel Martinelli's match-winner.
The reverse fixture at the Etihad saw the north Londoners play rather conservatively, allowing Manchester City to press up while they attempted to catch them on the counter.
While it ended in a goalless draw as Arsenal lost two crucial points in the title race, Fabregas insists that Arteta knows what he's doing. He told the aforementioned podcast:
"I don’t know if they will do what they did last year. I don’t know if you guys remember that we were debating here when they just dropped into a low block and they were trying to get them on the counter.
"Listen, they didn’t manage to win the league and people can say, oh, if they went on to win that game, those two points… But Mikel is too smart for this. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He has a game plan.
"Obviously, he always does and the adaptability is important in terms of can he be aggressive? Can he not? I think against City, he will not go full on to press. That’s only my opinion."
