SO will the best two teams in the Premier League bore the pants off the nation again on Sunday, as they did TWICE last season? Mikel Arteta pulled off his best Jose Mourinho impersonation for a goalless draw at the Etihad in March. 4 Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola clashes have often been snoozefests Credit: Rex 4 When the top two go head-to-head, there has been too much fear of losing Credit: PA It was the only time in almost three years Manchester City failed to score in a home league match. At the Emirates last October, only a freakish late deflected goal by Gabriel Martinelli saved us from another stalemate on a day Arteta recorded his first competitive win over his old mentor Pep Guardiola.
These managers have such mutual respect that games resemble chess matches to purists and paint-drying exercises for more casual viewers. Of the 380 top-flight games played last season, the two between Arsenal and City were two of the least enjoyable. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL STAND AND DELIVER New pics show extension set to take Prem stadium capacity beyond 60,000 Both games produced only three shots on target — two of only three fixtures to feature such little action.
Can we expect anything different tomorrow? Especially after both teams had goalless draws against Italian opposition in midweek Champions League openers . And especially when Arsenal miss captain and chief creative force Martin Odegaard? The timing of it, five games into the new term, will surely make Arteta even more incl.