Happy New Year to all
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the first Premier League game of 2022, the clash between Arsenal and Manchester City.
City begin the new year as clear leaders having pulled away from Chelsea and Liverpool in December, and will be targeting an 11th straight win as they arrive in London.
Arsenal will be hoping to start this new year as they ended 2021, having clocked up five consecutive victories in all competitions.
And today’s contest will be a mark of just how far Mikel Arteta’s young side have come considering they were dispatched 5-0 at the Etihad back in August.
However, the Gunners boss won’t be able to urge his players on from the touchline, having tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time.
Assistant Albert Stuivenberg will lead the team in Arteta’s absence, and will be hoping he can help mastermind a result that ends the Londoners’ awful recent record against City.
It’s a 12.30pm kick-off at the Emirates, and we’ll soon have all-important team news as part of our pre-match build-up.