Manchester City vs Arsenal: kick-off time, team news, predicted lineups, injury, how to watch Premier League title showdown
Manchester City vs Arsenal (Premier League): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How to Watch
City head into the fixture off the back of three successive wins, a Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal, a 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final dismantling of Liverpool and a commanding 3-0 Premier League win at Chelsea last weekend, with momentum firmly behind Pep Guardiola’s side heading into arguably the biggest game of their season.
Sunday's showdown at the Etihad Stadium is likely to have huge ramifications on the Premier League title race as the Gunners attempt to reclaim some momentum.
How to watch Manchester City vs Arsenal: kick-off time, date, TV channel, streaming
Time and date: 4.30pm BST on Sunday April 19, 2026
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
How to watch: Sky Sports
Manchester City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday 19 April, with kick-off slated for 16:30 UK.
For UK-based viewers, the match is available live on Sky Sports, with coverage beginning ahead of the 16:30 UK kick-off.
TV Channel: Sky Customers can watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League from 4pm
App: Sky Customers can also watch on the Sky Sports app
Streaming LIVE: Non Sky Customers can stream the game with a NOW Day or a cancel-anytime Month pass
How to watch Arsenal vs Manchester City in USA, Canada
For viewers in the United States, the fixture kicks off at 11:30 EDT and can be streamed via USA Network.
Arsenal vs Man City Match Officials
Anthony Taylor has been confirmed as the referee for Sunday’s fixture at the Etihad Stadium.
Referee -- Anthony Taylor
Assistant Referee #1 -- Gary Beswick
Assistant Referee #2 -- Ian Hussin
Fourth Official-- Paul Tierney
VAR -- John Brooks
VAR Assistant -- Stuart Burt
Arteta' Arsenal Team News, Injury reports
Arsenal will be without Bukayo Saka, who has failed to recover from an Achilles injury in time to feature.
Noni Madueke is a doubt with the knee issue that forced him off in midweek against Sporting, with Arteta leaving it to the last minute to make a call.
Arsenal hope that Madueke will be available, though Arteta has indicated he would be willing to throw Max Dowman into the lion's den if required.
Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori also still have to prove their fitness after injury problems of their own.
Arteta could opt to bring Kai Havertz into his starting lineup to help Arsenal hold the ball and get up the pitch.
Eberechi Eze is likely to continue at No 10, while Arteta must decide between Ben White or Cristhian Mosquera, who impressed on Wednesday night, at right-back. Mikel Merino remains out, along with Saka.
Antoine Semenyo has rallied his teammates ahead of the game while Arsenal’s Declan Rice has insisted his side know what is required and issued his own defiant challenge.
Manchester city Team News, latest Injury reports
For Manchester City, Ruben Dias remains sidelined with the hamstring injury he sustained before the Carabao Cup final in March.
Guardiola confirmed in his press conference that Dias is “not ready still” for Sunday. Josko Gvardiol continues his recovery from a tibial fracture sustained in January, while John Stones is also doubtful after picking up a calf problem during the international break.
On a more positive note, Guardiola confirmed that Nico O’Reilly, who was substituted with a hamstring concern during the 3-0 Chelsea win, is “fine” and available for selection.
Abdukodir Khusanov and Marc Guehi are expected to continue at centre-back, with Mateo Kovacic likely to start from the bench after coming on at Stamford Bridge.
Predicted Starting Line-Up: Manchester City vs Arsenal (Premier League)
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Eze, Martinelli; Havertz
Predicted Man City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Rodri, Silva; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
ManCity vs Arsenal Head to Head records
The two sides met most recently at Wembley in March, with City winning 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final thanks to a brace of headers from Nico O’Reilly, a result that delivered City their first trophy in two seasons.
In the last Premier League meeting at the Etihad Stadium, City and Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw after Stones rescued a point in stoppage time.
All-Time Played -- 196
Man City Won -- 58
Arsenal Won -- 92
Draw -- 46
H2H Last 3 Meetings
League Cup -- Arsenal 0 , Manchester City 2 on the 22nd of March 2026
Premier League -- Arsenal 1 , Manchester City 1 on the 21st of September 2025
Premier League -- Arsenal 5 , Manchester City 1 on the 2nd of February 2025
Arsenal vs Manchester City Statistics
Manchester City have won 28 of their last 31 Premier League games in April under Pep Guardiola, averaging 2.50 points per game in the month – the highest rate of any manager in Premier League history over a single calendar month with 15 or more games played.
Arsenal have gone 22 years without winning the Premier League title – a fact Guardiola acknowledged explicitly in his press conference on Friday, calling it something that “makes them unique.”
What have the Man City manager Pep Guardiola said?
Pep Guardiola: ”If we lose, it is over. The other two results, knowing that Arsenal didn't beat Bournemouth - we still have games to play. Six games is a lot, especially in our calendar. Everton away, Bournemouth away, Aston Villa the last game at home. Crystal Palace and Brentford. There are still many things to do."
“They are so strong in all departments. That’s why they are where they are, top of the Premier League and semi-finals of the Champions League. All season they have been top. That’s why I’m proud to be challenging them.
“The Carabao Cup we won, the FA Cup we’re in the semi-finals, and here we are. It depends on how we perform. We have to do a perfect, a top, top level performance to beat Arsenal. I know Mikel, they are going to change something.”
What have the Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said?
Mikel Arteta: “"There are six games to go. It is a really important one for both teams and it will incline the balance a little bit. We have earned the right to be in this position, to be challenging. With the possibility to win on Sunday, arguably against the best team and manager that this league has ever seen.
"That is a huge privilege. We cannot wait to play the game and we are going to prepare to win. We see it as a big opportunity for us. Our team has to give every tool to go and win it. We have a strong opponent in front us. We know what we have to do.”
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