Back in February, Manchester City picked up a win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in a game that blew the Premier League title race wide open – the two teams are set to square off again in the reverse fixture on Wednesday evening.
However, in that game, Arsenal had a notable absentee – none other than former Citizens centre-forward Gabriel Jesus, who missed much of the season after he picked up an injury at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In City’s first game with Arsenal this season, the Gunners’ striker on that day, Eddie Nketiah, missed some gilt-edged chances. Had Jesus been on the end of them, the game may have gone differently.
Nketiah missed a particularly good chance early on in the game, as he deflected a header wide of the post. Had he scored, it would have given Arsenal a rapid start and could have easily unsettled the Light Blues.
Nketiah is by no means a bad player, but he lacks Jesus’ composure in front of goal. Additionally, Jesus’ ability to find himself in goalscoring positions is also far superior to Nketiah’s.
As such, Manchester City will need to watch Jesus very closely. It’s likely that he will be very motivated for the game – he may feel he has a point to prove against the club that were once so keen to move him on.