Manchester City will play hosts to Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening hoping to restart their Premier League season with a win at home. The Citizens would come into this clash on the back of a disappointing 2-0 derby defeat against Manchester United before the football world came to a standstill as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pep Guardiola will stick with his favoured 4-3-3 formation and have a lot of his first-team players back for this midweek contest at the north-west of England. However, the Gunners won’t be any pushovers as they will desperate for the three points so that they can boost their chances of a top-four finish at the end of this campaign.
4-3-3 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Arsenal
Defence
Ederson will lineup in between the sticks for Man City as he looks to celebrate his return to first-team action with a clean sheet. Fernandinho will operate as a makeshift centre-back alongside Aymeric Laporte, who should be fit enough to get a start in this crucial game on Wednesday. Both players will have to be at their best if they are to stop the North London giants from scoring later this week.
Kyle Walker should get the nod to play in the right-back position while Oleksandr Zinchenko might keep his place on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will be instructed to push high up the field so that they get the freedom to create some decent chances for the front players.
Midfield
Rodri will act as a defensive midfielder as he looks to breakdown the opposition attacks on the counter. David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne will operate just ahead of him as the creative, box to box midfielders as they look to cause a lot of headaches for the Arsenal defenders in midweek.
Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden will once again have to settle for a spot on the Man City bench. The former’s experience and the latter’s youthful exuberance will be two good options at Guardiola’s disposal if he decides to change his team’s shape or tactics in the second half.
Attack
Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez will be the home side’s best hope for goals out on the flanks while Sergio Aguero gets the responsibility to lead the charge down the middle. Aguero has a terrific goal-scoring record at the Etihad Stadium, so he will fancy his chances of adding to that tally when the Gunners come to town in midweek.
Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus might be named on the bench as they await their opportunity to influence the game as the impact substitutes if Guardiola decides to call upon their services.
