Madueke v Doku: Which winger will have the bigger impact?

Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 5.

Player analysis: Noni Madueke (Arsenal) and Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)

Arsenal and Man City have enjoyed good weeks, winning testing matches in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

They meet this Sunday at Emirates Stadium in another high-stakes, early season encounter.

Which winger will shine brightest?

There are flair players everywhere you look across these two squads, but on current form Madueke and Doku are the entertainers most likely to unlock the door.

In the absence of Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s summer signing Madueke is excelling on the right wing, performing with great confidence and conviction.

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Their most dangerous player at Anfield, Madueke, the former Chelsea winger, has since tormented his markers with a string of fantastic dribbles in victories against Nottingham Forest and Athletic Club.

Madueke created five chances last weekend, constantly taking the ball past his marker on the outside.

And while the England international is a left-footer, his primary aim has been to carry it to the byline before cutting a ball back for team-mates.

This touch map from a barnstorming display against Forest, shows you the fantastic areas he got into.

Pep Guardiola has lost first choice left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri to injury, so it will be interesting to see who he selects.

Youngster Nico O’Reilly is in pole position to start, but if Guardiola is worried about Madueke’s influence he may shift Josko Gvardiol across into that position.

No Premier League player can match Madueke’s 9.66 touches inside the opposition box per 90 minutes.

The visitors will turn to Doku for moments of brilliance.

The Belgian created two goals in the Manchester derby before scoring a lovely solo goal against Napoli in midweek.

One of the most gifted dribblers of his generation, Doku can go past defenders as if they are not there.

When he consistently marries that talent with quality end product, the winger can become one of the world’s best in his position.

In terms of creating chances in open play per 90 minutes, Doku is currently the division’s best performer, averaging 3.2

Of the players involved this weekend, Doku and Madueke are the leaders for their respective sides when it comes to laying on chances.

Most open-play chances created - Arsenal and Man City

*Min two starts

While Madueke may be considered favourite against City’s choice at left-back, Doku may not have it so easy on his preferred left flank.

Arsenal right-back Jurrien Timber is tough to beat in 1v1s, so their duel should be a great watch.

Reijnders runs will carry a threat

Arsenal need to be especially aware of the box-to-box threat carried by City's summer signing Tijjani Reijnders.

The Dutchman is excellent at breaking into the final third from deep, so his bursts must be tracked by Martin Zubimendi or Declan Rice.

Zubimendi is not especially strong at covering larger spaces, so Guardiola may ask Reijnders to make runs off the Spaniard when opportunities arise.

Most runs ending with a team shot 25/26

Only two Premier League players have sparked more team shots from their off the ball runs than Reijnders (see above) so it is clear he is a midfielder that makes things happen with his movement.

This graphic below shows his runs into the opposition box.

Arteta would likely prefer Rice to contain those movements, with Zubimendi getting close to the in-form Phil Foden, but there will be moments where that is not possible.

Happy to go long

Arsenal and Man City are two of the best passing sides around, but tactically they are not afraid to go long either.

In fact, the side who goes from back to front with most accuracy and efficiency is likely to prevail in north London.

Guardiola’s side has had a longstanding fragility to counter-attacks or long-balls, and with Viktor Gyokeres now leading the line, Arsenal have a striker who can help them play a more direct brand of football.

The Swede scored his first Premier League goal from a lofted Riccardo Calafiori pass against Leeds United, so if City get caught holding a high line, this is just the kind of pass which could be repeated.

Currently, only AFC Bournemouth have made more direct attacks than Arsenal, a category Mikel Arteta’s men ranked 11th in last season.

Most direct attacks 25/26

From a City angle, Erling Haaland loves sprinting beyond the last man too, so they are outstanding at turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.

We saw that when they created a turnover against United last Sunday, with Bernardo Silva releasing the Norwegian for a deadly 1v1.

City have been good on the break this season, scoring twice, so Arsenal must take great care in possession when they have committed multiple players to forward areas.

Most PL goals from fast breaks 25/26

Can rock-solid Arsenal stop Haaland?

Haaland has enjoyed nine big chances so far in 2025/26, three more than the next closest player Antoine Semenyo.

Converting four of those, and scoring five in total, the Norwegian (who netted home and away against the Gunners last season) is clearly City’s most dangerous player.

Yet they come up against arguably the best defensive unit in European football; a side who will feel they have defenders strong enough to handle Haaland.

Cristhian Mosquera has been superb in the absence of William Saliba, so whoever starts this Sunday at the back, will have plenty of belief.

Remarkably, Arsenal have not given up a single ‘big chance’ across the first four matches.

No one else comes close, with Man City facing eight big chances during the same period.

PL big chances conceded 25/26

What approach will Arteta take?

As Arsenal’s excellent 2-0 win away to Athletic Club in midweek showed, a tactical switch to plan B can help you win any game of football.

Utilising the opposite strengths of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli late on, Arteta altered the dynamic at the perfect moment to claim all three points.

The Spaniard started Mikel Merino in that match, and in their 1-0 loss away to Liverpool, sacrificing a more creative No 10 from the outset.

It improved their stability, but perhaps impacted Arsenal’s capacity to play quickly through the thirds, creating from central areas inside the opposition half.

In home wins against Leeds and Forest, Arteta went with a 4-2-3-1 formation using that link man in the hole, with Martin Odegaard or Ethan Nwaneri used there.

Will he take that bolder option from the start, or revert to it in the second half? That decision is likely to have a huge bearing on the type of match we see.

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