Pep Guardiola, whose mother Dolors died after contracting COVID-19, will take charge of Manchester City against Arsenal when Premier League resumes on Wednesday after three months in lockdown.
The City boss is relishing the Etihad Stadium reunion with his former number two Mikel Arteta, who left to take charge of Gunners in December. The former Barcelona manager also hopes they can enjoy a post-match drink together. That's Pep's plans for a post-match drink.
But, Pep is also aware that City will be dethroned as Premier League champions by Liverpool, and on top of that says his stars are not up to handling the intensive demands posed by the restart, after the coronavirus stoppage.
Advertisement
The original fixture was scheduled for March 11, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Then, a few days later, Arteta himself tested positive which hastened the English football's shutdown.
After 28 matches each, City are second in the points table while Arsenal are ninth. City have 57 points from 18 wins, three draws and seven defeats. Arsenal have 40 points from nine wins 13 draws and six defeats.
Here's how you can watch the Manchester City vs Arsenal match live:
Date: June 18, 2020 (Thursday)
Time: 12:45 AM IST
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
TV Guide: Star Sports 1/HD, Star Sports Select 1/HD
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar
Advertisement
Likely XIs:
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Fernandinho, Laporte, Zinchenko; Rodiri, De Bruyne, Silva; Bernado, Sterling; Aguero.
Arsenal: Leno; Bellerin, Luiz, Mustafi, Tierney; Ceballos, Xhaka; Ozil; Pepe, Aubameyang; Lacazette.
Yes, the match will be played behind closed doors without fans.
