Already threatening to distances themselves atop the Premier League table, Manchester City gets one of its toughest tests of the early season on Sunday, as Pep Guardiola’s squad welcomes fifth-place Arsenal to Etihad Stadium.
For viewers in the United States, the match is scheduled to start at 9:15 a.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network. If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream by signing up for a free trial of one of the following cable-free, live-TV services:
Fubo TV: “Fubo Premier” includes NBCSN and is the best channel package for international soccer. You can click here to sign up and start your free trial. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Fubo app.
DirecTV Now: All four channel packages include NBCSN. You can click here to sign up and start your free trial. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app
Sling TV: “Sling Blue” includes NBCSN. You can click here to sign up and start your free trial. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
Each of these options includes a free trial, so you can watch the match at no cost.
2017-18 Premier League Table
| Pos | Team | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man. City | 98-1-0 | 29 | 28 |
| 2 | Man United | 7-2-1 | 19 | 23 |
| 3 | Tottenham | 6-2-2 | 12 | 20 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 6-1-3 | 8 | 19 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 6-1-3 | 6 | 19 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 5-4-2 | 4 | 19 |
| 7 | Burnley | 5-4-2 | 1 | 19 |
| 8 | Brighton | 4-3-4 | 0 | 15 |
| 9 | Watford | 4-3-3 | -3 | 15 |
| 10 | Huddersfield | 4-3-4 | -5 | 15 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 4-2-5 | 0 | 14 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 3-4-4 | 0 | 13 |
| 13 | Southampton | 3-4-4 | -2 | 13 |
| 14 | Stoke City | 3-3-5 | -9 | 12 |
| 15 | West Brom | 2-4-5 | -5 | 10 |
| 16 | Bournemouth | 3-1-7 | -7 | 10 |
| 17 | West Ham | 2-3-6 | -12 | 9 |
| 18 | Swansea City | 2-2-7 | -6 | 8 |
| 19 | Everton | 2-2-6 | -13 | 8 |
| 20 | Crystal Palace | 1-1-8 | -17 | 4 |
Preview
With nine wins, a draw, zero losses and an absurd plus-29 goal differential through their first 10 matches of the season, Manchester City are off to the best start in Premier League history.
While Pep Guardiola’s first season with the Citizens was a disappointing one by their lofty standards, he has his team clicking at an unreal level this year.
“The people expect that when a new manager comes in, that it can instantly work and sometimes people forget that you need time to settle something,” said Guardiola. “Get the players to know each other, to trust each other, to know everything about the Premier League – the opponents, the style of play, the referees – and it doesn’t matter how much success you had in the past or not, you need time sometimes.”
Guardiola has consistently toyed with his lineup this year, but whether it’s Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus or both up front, and no matter what combination of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, and Bernando Silva is in the midfield, City’s attack has been downright unstoppable with an average of 3.5 goals per match.
It’ll be interesting to see if Arsenal’s defense is up to the tall task. After a nightmarish start that saw the Gunners concede eight times in the first three Premier League matches of the season, Arsene Wenger’s side has allowed just five goals over the last six overall and managed to keep Chelsea off the scoresheet in their last road match against a top-six squad.
“We have to try and contain them when they have the ball as they are a force going forward,” said Wenger. “The number of goals they’ve scored is quite impressive. It would be suicidal not to be careful defensively. We need to produce a strong defensive performance as a team. That might not be enough.”
Man City have managed just one win in their last nine matches against Arsenal, but with the way things have gone this season, it’s going to take a near perfect effort from the Gunners to continue that trend.
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Manchester City vs Arsenal Live Stream: How to Watch Online for Free