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For anyone who wasn’t previously aware, Arsenal travel to Manchester City this afternoon hoping to overcome their title rivals and take an enormous stride to claiming a first Premier League crown since 2004.

Ahead of the heavyweight clash between the two clubs, here at FootballFanCast we decided to open the vault and take a look at some of the Gunners’ finest strikes against the Citizens in recent years.

The London club go into the clash hoping to avenge the embarrassing defeat suffered at the hands of Everton on Tuesday. Arsene Wenger’s side lead through a deflected Alexis Sanchez free-kick, but the Toffees masterminded an impressive turnaround to claim all three points.

Nonetheless, against Man City, Wenger faces a different animal as the North West outfit are hoping to overturn their recent run of poor results.

With the game almost upon us, here are the FIVE best Arsenal goals scored against Man City in the Premier League in recent memory…

Thierry Henry – 2004

If ever there was a goal to sum up the ability of Thierry Henry, then this strike against Kevin Keegan’s Manchester City in February 2004 is it.

Henry managed to find space on the left wing before firing a hard driving shot past David James in the Man City goal which was ultimately the winner on the day.

Eduardo -2008

Two weeks before the leg-break that ultimately robbed Eduardo of his career in England, the Croation faced Manchester City and left his mark on proceedings.

His expert turn to find space between the Man City defence and goalkeeper saw him control the ball on his chest before firing low and hard past Joe Hart. Arsenal won the contest 1-3.

Mikel Arteta – 2012

During the 2011/12 season, both clubs had contrasting starts to the season as Man City achieved their greatest ever top-flight beginning, while Arsenal suffered their worst start in 34 years.

By the end of the campaign, the two clubs met with City going in search of a Premier League title. Mikel Arteta’s wonder-strike ensured the Gunners took the three points and handed rivals United the advantage in the title race.

Alexis Sanchez – 2014

In September 2014, Premier League champions City visited the Emirates Stadium hoping to overcome Arsenal once again.

City had taken the lead before two quick goals from Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez earned the Gunners a valuable point.

Sanchez’s brilliant volley was the pick of the bunch, and it wouldn’t be his last goal against the Citizens…

Alexis Sanchez – 2016

Just as City thought they would send Manuel Pellegrini off with a final victory at the Etihad Stadium, Alexis Sanchez decided to ensure his compatriot went away miserable.

His movement, added to Olivier Giroud’s touch, carved City open before he fired past Joe Hart in the City goal.

Jose Mourinho is still shaping his Manchester United squad into one that has his fingerprints all over it. One window isn’t really enough to overhaul years of underachievement, and the Portuguese coach surely knows that now.

Players need to come in and players need to move out, then Mourinho can really start building a team worthy of playing at the Theatre of Dreams.

One tactic that may prove prudent to follow is engaging with Chinese clubs, to see if any of Asia’s big spenders want to buy some of the ‘talent’ that doesn’t have a future under Mourinho.

With Oscar having joined Shanghai SIPG and John Terry rumoured to be another target rumoured to be leaving Stamford Bridge in big money deals, why not explore the option of shipping out players to the Far East to maximise the value of outgoing transfers?

There are plenty of players on big wages in Manchester that are unlikely to become key players in the coming seasons, after all.

Here are FIVE players that Man United should be looking to sell to Chinese Super League sides in January…

Marouane Fellaini

Fellaini’s spell at Manchester United has been far from successful and under Mourinho, the relationship between player, fans and club is only becoming more dysfunctional.

The midfielder has only made eight Premier League starts this season and hasn’t started a game since early November. On top of this, any time he does take to the pitch, he doesn’t look particularly assured.

Likely on big wages, moving him on in January should be a priority and even better if it’s for big money.

Bastian Schweinsteiger

A global superstar who has won almost everything in the game, if there’s one name in the Manchester United squad with the iconic status to attract China’s big money, it’s Schweinsteiger.

His transfer from Bayern Munich hasn’t worked out and despite remaining popular with the fans, he is firmly out of Mourinho’s future plans.

The German legend’s only appearance in Man United colours this season came in a short cameo from the bench in the EFL Cup, which is quite a change in fortunes for the man who ran the show at Bayern Munich for so long.

One last big payday is deserved.

Ashley Young

Another player who has made fewer than five starts under Mourinho, Ashley Young’s time at United is limited. The winger has never quite shown the form he did for Aston Villa since his move to United and at the wrong side of 30, he has no long-term future at Old Trafford.

His 30 caps for England may convince a CSL club to sign him for status alone and he’d no doubt make an impact in a far inferior league.

If United can get decent money for him it’d be good business considering how out of favour he is at the club right now.

Memphis Depay

Memphis Depay is another player going nowhere fast under Jose Mourinho. The winger has only started one game this season and that was in the EFL Cup.

Despite that, he’s a player with talent and any club coming in for him is getting an effective winger when he’s at his best. A Netherlands international, he certainly has the reputation required to pique the interest of the Chinese Super League clubs looking to splash the cash.

Morgan Schneiderlin

Another international with well-known name recognition that is likely to attract interest from plenty of clubs, Morgan Schneiderlin must know his Manchester United career is almost up.

Arriving in 2015 after an incredible rise from League One with Southampton, the Frenchman has struggled to make the step from St Mary’s Stadium to Old Trafford.

His only starts for United this season have come in the Europa League and those performances haven’t been enough to convince Mourinho to make him part of his first team plans.

Following the sacking of Alan Pardew last month it was time for Sam Allardyce to come out of the managerial wilderness after the England debacle and take over at Crystal Palace. ‘Big Sam’ is once again trusted with a club with the sole task of making sure they stay up. That’s his bread and butter.

However, it’s a task that is not going to be all that simple and Allardyce is still searching for his first win since taking charge of the Eagles. Results are going to have to improve soon or there is the distinct possibility of the south London side being dragged into the bottom three.

With the former England boss inheriting a squad that, although talented, has seriously under-performed in the first-half season, he will now look to make the necessary additions to make sure his new employers stay out of the drop zone.

So let’s now look at THREE players who could be moving to Selhurst Park month…

Robbie Brady

Another player that has been linked with Palace of late is Robbie Brady with Allardyce reportedly ready to make a bid for the Republic Of Ireland international. Brady, who will be 25 later this month, will be remembered for his two goals for the Republic in last summer’s European Championship.

Brady has already suffered Premier League relegations with both Hull and his current employers Norwich, so perhaps Palace fans could be excused for thinking he is carrying some kind of jinx. That said, should they capture his signing from the Canaries then they will be getting a very neat and versatile player with top-flight experience.

Not only can Brady play as a winger but can also be used at full-back, a position that Palace have really struggled to fill of late. It cost £7m for Norwich to acquire Brady from Hull and you would imagine should he return to the Premier League then the figure needed to acquire the former Manchester United youngster would be similar.

Kieran Gibbs

One of Sam Allardyce’s first acts could be capturing Kieran Gibbs from Arsenal. The Gunners are having well-documented contract talks with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, but they are not the only two players whose deals are set to expire in 18 months’ time.

Another player you can add to a worryingly long list for Arsenal is that of Gibbs, and Crystal Palace are monitoring the situation with keen interest as they hope the England international will be ready to leave the Emirates Stadium and make the short move to Selhurst Park.

The 28-year-old has spent his whole career at Arsenal but over the last few seasons has failed to hold down a first-team berth of his own. He only made 15 Premier League appearances last term and has only featured five times in the first-half of this.

And it’s this lack of top flight game time which may well mean that Gibbs decides to end his decade-long stint in north London. As always with a player whose contract is running out, the decision for his employers is whether to sell early or risk that player leaving the club for free. If Arsene Wenger does decide to move Gibbs on and is willing to listen to offers then Crystal Palace will surely be at the front of the queue for his signature.

Modou Barrow

With Wilfried Zaha’s newly acquired Ivorian nationality meaning he has been selected for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations, the Eagles will be without one of their most talented stars until, potentially, early February.

To alleviate that problem, Palace have identified a potential target to replace him in the short-term but also add competition for the wide berths going forward, with that target being Modou Barrow of Swansea.

The Gambian was an unused sub when these two sides met recently at Selhurst Park, a game that saw Swansea snatch a dramatic late winner. With first-team football not necessarily a given for Barrow he may well fancy swapping a relegation scrap in South Wales for one in south London.

West Ham are set to hand Michail Antonio a fresh deal despite the England ace only signing a new contract last year, The Guardian reports.

What’s the word?

Michail Antonio has been in fine form for West Ham this season, leading the scoring charts at the East London side with eight goals- six of which have been from headers, with the England ace boasting a 100% record when he gets a header on target.

The Hammers, pushed by reported interest from Chelsea, have decided that Antonio’s form warrants a fresh deal and are ready to double the player’s salary to £70k-a-week on a five-and-a-half-year contract.

Antonio, who has scored more goals for West Ham than any other player since the start of last season, only signed his current four-year deal a year ago but the new contract will show his importance to Slaven Bilic’s side.

Is it the right move?

West Ham are definitely right to hand Michail Antonio a new deal as £35k-a-week is not a lot for a player of his calibre, which would have made it easy for rival Premier League side’s to pinch his signature.

Whilst also making it difficult for a rival club to land Antonio, it’s also a reward to a player who has been fantastic over the past 18 months and is a piece of positive news for a side who have lacked things to smile about recently- especially with the Dimitri Payet saga.

Antonio was on-fire last weekend against Crystal Palace, securing all three assists in a 3-0 win for the Hammers, and has been directly involved in 11 of West Ham’s goals this season- making him involved in an astonishing 42.3% of West Ham’s Premier League goals.

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The January transfer window is drawing to a close and with it the endless speculation regarding players’ futures at their respective clubs.

Manchester United are a club that have the resources to make an impact on January like few others but there’s been a surprising lack of incoming transfer activity with Jose Mourinho finally finding form in the players currently at his disposal at Old Trafford.

United have seen some players leave, most notably Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay, who both moved in big money deals.

Yet, their squad remains large and arguably bloated and part of Mourinho’s task this season has been identifying the players that either don’t have a future of the club or must move on to progress as a player on loan.

That task may not be complete this January and there’s still time for the United manager to send some players on their way before the window shuts.

Here are FOUR last minute Man United exists he should consider…

Ashley Young

Ashley Young has only started five games this season and it looks increasingly likely that his time at the club is coming to an end. There have been reports this week that the wide player is one of Mourinho’s expected departures before the transfer deadline on Tuesday night.

He provides a decent option as a back-up, but at the wrong side of 30 and less than 18 months left on his contract, it makes sense for him to seek first-team football elsewhere.

His move from Aston Villa hasn’t been quite the success many expected when he switched in 2011 but he has contributed a decent amount in his time at the club, making 150 appearances as a winger, right midfielder and latterly as a right-back.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah

Timothy Fosu-Mensah has a bright future ahead of him at Old Trafford but a lack of first-team football threatens to stunt his progress and a loan move before the end of the window to another Premier League club could be an ideal way to have him take his game to the next level.

He has made three starts for United this season, including in their FA Cup win over Wigan on Sunday. The versatile defender didn’t have a particularly impressive game at right-back but put in a solid shift and likely has enough quality to be a regular starter for teams in the bottom half of the table.

If Mourinho can find a club willing to give him that regular football then it seems smart to let him leave until the summer when the Old Trafford boss can again re-assess his readiness for action at United.

Axel Tuanzebe

Axel Tuanzebe made his professional debut on Sunday against Wigan, coming off the bench to play his first 22 minutes of football at Old Trafford.

Still just 19, the defender should be given the opportunity of gaining football for another club so he can really challenge for a first-team place in the summer.

He’s an England youth international and has a bright future in the game should his development continue, but with the likes of Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones performing to a high standard recently doesn’t have much scope of becoming at a regular for Mourinho anytime soon.

He’d be an excellent choice for most Championship sides and perhaps even one or two Premier League outfits and, like Fosu-Mensah, the club should be proactive in making that happen.

Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw may have got a start on Sunday against Wigan but, incredibly, that was his first appearance since November.

Once tipped for massive things at Old Trafford, there are now question marks from supporters about his future at the club after a number of poor performances and Mourinho’s apparent preference for other options at left-back.

A permanent move away could be unlikely given that he’s still a valuable asset to United due to his potential and age, but perhaps a loan move with allow him to find his confidence and joy of playing football again, away from the glare and pressures of life under Mourinho.

The majority of Arsenal players took a beating from fans on Twitter during their 5-1 thrashing to Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, and one of them was Francis Coquelin.

The 25-year-old defensive midfielder came under fire 11 minutes into the match when he allowed Arjen Robben to cut inside and drill the ball into the back of the net.

The Gunners must have done their homework and would have known that Robben regularly tries that move, but Coquelin was unable to stop him.

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Let us not forget, the Frenchman was comfortably shrugged off the ball by Eden Hazard almost a fortnight ago when the Chelsea playmaker scored a stunning goal in a 3-1 triumph at Stamford Bridge.

Coquelin, who signed a new long-term contract in January, had a disappointing overall performance, completing just six passes before he was hauled off in the 77th minute.

Plenty of fans took aim at the midfielder during a disappointing first leg in their Champions League last-16 tie.

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One of the most popular narratives surrounding the League Cup these days is just how much Jose Mourinho loves the competition, as it represents an early chance to land some silverware in the footballing calendar.

Having won it three times over his two spells with Chelsea, the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ and his pragmatic approach in delivering success to his employers looks tailor made for a tournament of this ilk.

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Still, merely discussing the notion of seeing Man United win only a second piece of silverware since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 would be entirely disrespectful to their opponents at Wembley on Sunday, Southampton.

While this season has proved to be somewhat of a mixed bag for those on the south coast, Claude Puel’s side have earned their way to the final with a wonderful run of results, and are yet to concede in a difficult route to the final that has seen them play only Premier League sides.

So, the Saints are far from rank outsiders for Sunday’s showpiece. However, they will clearly have been boosted by the fact Michael Carrick and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are big doubts for the final after picking up injuries in the Europa League last night against St Etienne.

With that in mind, here’s how Southampton fans reacted to United’s double injury blow.

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Derby County manager Steve McClaren says he won’t discuss new contracts for any of his players until the end of the season, according to the Derby Telegraph.

What’s the story, then?

Well, the Rams boss was asked about the expiring deals of Chris Baird and Darren Bent in his pre-match press conference for the clash against Preston North End on Tuesday night, but was clear on what the situation is.

McClaren told the Derby Telegraph: “The key message we want to get out is that we are focusing on the rest of the season.

“There will be no negotiations of contracts until after the season finishes, that goes for any player.”

Is this statement a surprise?

No, not really.

Derby currently lie 11 points from the play-off positions with 11 matches of the season remaining, and while a spot in the top six looks unlikely, they are by no means out of the race – although they may need to win the majority of their final league fixtures.

What’s the situation with Bent and Baird?

Well, both players moved to Pride Park on free transfers in the summer of 2015, signing two-year deals – with the option of a third year.

Are they likely to stay, then?

It really could depend on which division Derby find themselves in next season.

At 35, Baird is certainly getting no younger, and it depends on whether McClaren wants to stick with experience, or bring in a younger head.

It may be a different story for Bent though. The 33-year-old has scored nine Championship goals for the club this season, and it was perhaps rather telling that the Rams have failed to score in their last two league matches – fixtures that the striker missed because of injury and illness.

Losing to Olympique Lyonnais in the last 16 of the Europa League is hardly the ideal way to spend your birthday week, and spending the big day watching your triumphant opponents draw Besiktas in the quarter-final can’t have been great either. With Roma now out of European competition, they’ll have to make sure they don’t spend the rest of the season looking over their shoulders as others chase them for Champions League qualification.

Edin Dzeko will be important for that run-in. After a poor season last year, he seems to have found his form again: 20 goals in 28 Serie A appearances so far this season is top form, with 30 goals in all competitions.

In fact, the Bosnian is well on course to make this the most prolific season of his career, even at the age of 31.

In 2009, he was part of the Wolfsburg side that won the Bundesliga in what proved to Dzeko’s breakthrough season. His 36 goals in all competitions that season meant that he scored two more goals in that one title-winning year in Germany than he had in his entire professional career up until that point.

When he’s on form, he’s on form, it seems.

Often seen as a “super sub” during his time in England, Dzeko’s contributions to Manchester City’s title wins whilst he was at the club are difficult to understate. Important goals coming off the bench were enough to clinch the Blues’ narrow title triumphs, but the name he was stuck with always rankled with the Bosnian: “I will never be a super sub. I want to play,” he told The Guardian.

His attitude as well as his importance during a fruitful period for City are what make him a cult hero at the Etihad. Rarely complaining as well as coming off the bench to score vital goals is the stuff that cult heroes are made of, but when it comes to Dzeko, it’s clear that his best form comes when he’s getting games.

Last season, Roma fans were wondering just what their club has wasted their money on, but the Bosnian has bitten back with a hatful of goals. Not a super sub, but a regular starter who can be relied upon to score. Even though they’re out of Europe, eight goals in eight European appearances prove that.

It’s a shame that Dzeko had to play second fiddle to the likes of Sergio Aguero for so long at City. What City lost in his prolific scoring they gained in his willingness to work for the cause, but Roma are starting to see the goals flow in. And when they do for Dzeko, they’re hard to stop. Maybe City missed a trick here.

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According to an interview on Sky Sports, Everton winger Yannick Bolasie says that teammate Romelu Lukaku has made his decision on his future and that the club can’t stand in his way if he wants to leave.

He said: “I speak to Rom [Lukaku] every day and when a man has his plan, he has his plan. You can’t really stop that.

“Players have ambition, as players they want to play in the highest team possible and Rom for me right now, at his age, is a world class striker and there aren’t many about like him.

“I’m not surprised but I’m sure that Everton are going to find a way to deal with it.”

The Belgian – who has scored 21 Premier League goals this term – has told the Merseyside outfit that he won’t sign the new five-year contract that is on the table, which would make him the highest-paid player in the club’s history.

While Toffees fans were understandably upset at the piece, Bolasie was quick to take to Twitter to suggest that the quotes were taken out of context, and hinted at a criticism of some supporters that had chosen to ignore the positive comments.

However, supporters hit back at him via social media saying that he shouldn’t be speaking on the matter at all.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to the story…

Not everyone was annoyed with the winger though…