Wenger, Guardiola’s Head-To-Head Record Ahead Of Arsenal v City Clash

Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger go head-to-head for the 10th time on Sunday as Arsenal host Manchester City.

Having previously met several times in the knockout stages of the Champions League, the duo faced off domestically for the first time in December, with Man City coming from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad in the Premier League.

That defeat means Wenger has only won two of nine matches against Guardiola. Here’s a look at all their previous encounters ahead of their Nissan Super Sunday showdown.

Arsenal 2-2 Barcelona (Champions League quarter-final, March 2010)

Wenger and Guardiola’s first meeting was a memorable one. Arsenal looked dead and buried after Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice in 13 minutes, but Theo Walcott pulled one back before Cesc Fabregas’ late penalty made it 2-2. The match also featured a homecoming for Thierry Henry, who was warmly received by the home crowd.

Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal (Champions League quarter-final, April 2010)

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The injury-hit Gunners took a shock lead through Nicklas Bendtner when they travelled to the Camp Nou for the second leg of the quarter-final, but Lionel Messi responded with a stunning four-goal performance to send the Gunners crashing out. “When there’s players like Messi then you can pay for any mistake,” said Wenger afterwards. “He’s the best player in the world by a distance.”

Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona (Champions League last-16, February 2011)

Wenger and Guardiola’s next meeting provided one of Arsenal’s best moments in the Emirates Stadium. Robin van Persie cancelled out David Villa’s opener in the closing stages, and Andrey Arshavin sealed a memorable win with a sweeping finish from a rapid counter-attack.

Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal (Champions League last-16, March 2011)

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Arsenal could not produce a repeat performance in the return leg as they suffered more Champions League heartache at the Camp Nou. The Gunners had the edge when a Sergio Busquets own goal cancelled out Messi’s opener, but Van Persie was controversially sent off and Barcelona eased to victory with a strike from Xavi and a second goal from Messi.

Arsenal 0-2 Bayern Munich (Champions League last-16, February 2014)

Wenger’s men made a flying start at the Emirates, but Mesut Ozil missed a penalty before Bayern began to turn the screw. Wojciech Szczesny was sent off for a foul on Arjen Robben, and the visitors left north London with a two-goal advantage thanks to strikes from Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller.

Bayern Munich 1-1 Arsenal (Champions League last-16, March 2014)

There was no comeback at the Allianz Arena. Lukasz Podolski cancelled out Bastian Schweinsteiger’s opener to ensure Arsenal left with their pride intact, but the first-leg defeat had given them too much to do to earn a place in the last eight.

Arsenal 2-0 Bayern Munich (Champions League group stage, October 2015)

Wenger enjoyed only his second win over Guardiola in the group stage the following year. Bayern had 73 per cent of the possession at the Emirates but Petr Cech made a string of impressive saves to keep the visitors at bay before late goals from Olivier Giroud and Ozil.

It was a satisfying night for Wenger, but Guardiola insisted he was happy with his side’s performance. “We played to control the game and create chances,” he said. “I am so, so proud of how we played. We played with huge personality. We came here to close our qualification and we could not do that so we now have to go to the next game.”

Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal (Champions League group stage, November 2015)

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Guardiola claimed his revenge a few weeks later as Arsenal were comprehensively outclassed at the Allianz Arena. The Gunners couldn’t cope with Bayern’s relentless pressing, and they were 3-0 down at half-time after goals from Robert Lewandowski, Muller and David Alaba. Robben added a fourth after the break before Giroud pulled one back, but Muller added the fifth in the dying minutes.

Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal (Premier League, December 2016)

The first domestic meeting between Wenger and Guardiola started perfectly for Arsenal as Walcott scored in the fifth minute at the Etihad. The Gunners maintained their lead until half-time but City scored twice after the break through Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling to turn the game around.

Wenger said afterwards that he thought both City goals should have been ruled out. “They are two offside goals and in a game of that stature I feel enough is enough for us. We got some bad decisions for the whole season and today I looked at the goals and both are offside. But what can I do? We have to live with that.”

It was a first home win for City since September 17, and one that Guardiola said “psychologically meant a lot”. The City boss also apologised to John Stones for leaving him on the bench for the second match in a row. “He doesn’t deserve to be out. I love him a lot. He is a really nice guy and he is good, but I just tried to do the same back four we played against Watford.”