Man City are taking the fight to Arsenal 5,000 miles from the Etihad

Manchester City are looking to make gains on both sides of the Atlantic this weekend when they take on Arsenal

Arsenal are looking to make a statement on Sunday as they look to prove they are the new force in English football. The scheduling gods have thrown up one of the tastiest fixtures in years, with the outcome at the Etihad on Sunday likely to decide the destination of the Premier League title.

A win for Manchester City and they will be in pole position with the momentum to win what would be a seventh league in nine years under Pep Guardiola, while a draw or victory for Mikel Arteta's league leaders would move them closer to a first title since the Invincibles in 2004. Arsenal have drawn their last two at the Etihad, but haven't won there in more than a decade.

As the Gunners move into enemy territory in Manchester, City are looking to park some tanks on the lawns of the Arsenal owner. Stan Kroenke is a US billionaire who owns a number of top sporting teams, including the 2022 Superbowl winners the Los Angeles Rams.

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The Rams were founded in Cleveland and spent 20 years in Missouri before Kroenke took them back to Los Angeles in 2016 and they currently play in the 70,000-seater SoFi Stadium - widely seen as one of the most impressive sporting arenas in the US and the world. It will host eight matches at the World Cup this summer, including a quarter-final and two group games for Mauricio Pochettino's host nation.

On Sunday, two minutes down the road from there and well over 5,000 miles from the Etihad, City are hosting a party for the Arsenal game. Inside the futuristic COSM, a sell-out crowd of more than 350 fans will be able to feel like they are inside the stadium as they watch the action as part of City's Matchday Live tour.

Going global has been a theme for City since they set their sights on being one of the most popular clubs in world football, and while this year has been the first in quite a few that they have not been able to take any trophies on tour that hasn't stopped the visits. Former players have been part of teams that have already headed out to South Korea, China, and Norway to host matchday experiences for fans in those countries in shows that have been attended in person by over 1500 people and picked up over 11 million views online.

COSM will be the fourth and final stop of the season, with former goalkeeper Scott Carson one of the City representatives out in LA to give a flavour of what the City dressing room will be feeling as they look to hunt down Arsenal again. As much as the Gunners are looking to hurt City in their own home, the Blues are planning parties in Kroenke's backyard.

The visit is part of City's commitment to growing their fanbase in the US - one of the biggest commercial markets for any football club. Their popularity there surged in 2022 when they went over for a summer tour having just signed global superstar Erling Haaland, and winning the Treble the following season served to keep them in the public eye.

Guardiola and his players returned in 2024 for pre-season games in Chapel Hill, New York, and Florida, and then played in the Club World Cup last year where they were based in Florida. While a trip this summer is unlikely given the World Cup being hosted in the US, City have made a point of making sure they have some presence there this season as the team looks to steal the Premier League from under Arsenal's noses.

GWI, a market research company that tracks global trends, have City as the fastest growing football team since 2017 in terms of people who 'have an interest' in them and also has having the youngest fanbase in the US among the 'big six' teams in the Premier League. Not only that, they were also credited in that recent data with the highest proportion of Hispanic fans compared to those five rivals.

If all eyes will be on the Etihad then this weekend, it matters to City and Arsenal where people will be watching from. As Guardiola's team look to strike in Manchester, the Blues will also be aiming to chalk up a significant victory on a Sunday morning in Los Angeles.