Manchester City host Arsenal on Sunday in this weekend’s big-ticket fixture in the Premier League. City will be looking to put the stutter against Newcastle United behind them and get their season back on track. Arsenal have that top-four spot to fight for as the teams head into the business end of the season.

This fixture comes as a must-win for Pep Guardiola as he looks to keep the pressure on Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. The ex-Barcelona coach has never had problems seeing off Arsenal. Yet, after the midweek blip on Tyneside, he will be under pressure to deliver a win.

Here we take a look at some of the tactics he could employ in the big game.

Press, counter-press, suffocate the defence

Both teams build from the back and are hence prone to yield under pressure. However, City’s players are more press-resistant and are potent enough to break Arsenal’s pressure. Guardiola must hence use pressing and counter-pressing to suffocate the Arsenal defence and force them to commit a mistake.

Given how fragile the backline is, one slight crack can ensure that the floodgates open for Emery’s men and City will then take all three points from the fixture rather comfortably.

Hence, it all comes down to Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane forcing the Arsenal defence to misplace a pass or give the ball away in a dangerous position.

Be wary of Arsenal’s quick transitions

City will, in all probability, dominate the possession and dictate terms in midfield. Although Arsenal build from the back themselves, they are more likely to catch city on the break and use Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s pace to score on the counter.

Hence, Kyle Walker and Danilo must be extra cautious while advancing forward. By ensuring that Arsenal are not able to convert a quick transition, the hosts will be striking out the Gunner’s most likely source of goals.

It would also help if the defensive high line is a bit conservative and stays low at times. But it’s highly unlikely that Guardiola will give up on his philosophy, unlike when came up against a ‘Gegenpressing’ team at Anfield a few weeks ago.