Arsenal will be looking to maintain their winning run of form in the Premier League. This time though, they could face a stiff challenge against defending champions Manchester City on Wednesday. This will be Mikel Arteta’s first game against his former employers after he had left Man City in favour of a return to Arsenal, at the end of last year.
Here is how the Gunners may line up against Pep Guardiola’s men this midweek.
Predicted 4-2-3-1 Arsenal Lineup Vs Manchester City
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Sokratis Papastathopoulos has started at right-back for the past couple of matches now. And given Manchester City’s strength going forward, Arteta could once again deploy the no-nonsense Greek defender in that role ahead of Hector Bellerin, whose lack of positioning often leaves Arsenal vulnerable at the back.
There are not many options available at left-back, with both Sead Kolasinac and Kieran Tierney out injured. That means Bukayo Saka is set to retain his role in the side.
In central defence, Shkodran Mustafi is a doubt heading into this game. We still don’t know whether he would be fit to feature against Man City. In the meantime, Pablo Mari looks the likely option, having performed decently in the past two matches. He would once again look to retain a cleansheet alongside his defensive partner David Luiz.
Meanwhile, there is no one replacing Bernd Leno in goal, whose performance against West Ham pretty much helped Arsenal seal all three points. The German will be expecting yet another busy outing this midweek.
Midfield
Lucas Torreira is likely to be unavailable after suffering an ankle injury in the game against Portsmouth. It eases the way for Dani Ceballos to retain his role in the double-pivot, ahead of Matteo Guendouzi.
The Spaniard will look to offer protection in the build-up play, and his nimble footwork could be key during transition play. Alongside him, Granit Xhaka is expected to be tasked with the responsibility of providing the security for the backline.
Attack
Mesut Ozil is a likely starter despite featuring against West Ham on the weekend. His creativity will be important as Arsenal look to conjure up scoring opportunities in the final third.
Ozil will be supported by the pacy wide attacking duo of Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. While Pepe is set to provide service from the far side, Aubameyang will surely look to operate more centrally in an attempt to find the back of the net.
Also, Alexandre Lacazette may return to the side to lead the line, at the expense of Eddie Nketiah.
