Arsenal are aiming to reach the final of the FA Cup as they lock horns with Manchester City at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday. The Gunners are coming on the back of a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Liverpool and with FA Cup offering them the only route to silverware, expect Mikel Arteta’s men to come out all guns blazing in this one.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup Vs Manchester City
Defence
Arteta made a host of changes to his backline in the win over Liverpool. He is naturally expected to revert those changes, but given the performances of Rob Holding, the Spaniard might be willing to give the defender another chance.
Holding retaining his place in the starting lineup could come at the expense of Shkodran Mustafi while David Luiz is also a guaranteed starter, at the heart of the three-man backline. These two defenders will be partnered by Sead Kolasinac, although both Mustafi and Sokratis are also potential options.
Meanwhile, in goal, Emiliano Martinez is arguably the most in-form goalkeeper in England at the moment. He has done exceptionally well since the injury of Bernd Leno and should once again start in between the sticks for Arsenal.
Midfield
Granit Xhaka has been an ever-present figure in the Arsenal starting lineup since the restart. He is more than expected to retain his place in midfield. But, this time, he is set to be partnered by Dani Ceballos, who will return to the side at the expense of Lucas Torreira.
Torreira, however, could be used as a second-half substitute. Apart from him, Joe Willock’s fresh legs will be important in this cup tie. As for Tierney, he should relocate to the left wingback slot with Hector Bellerin replacing Cedric Soares on the opposite flank.
Attack
Arteta is set to make crucial changes in the attack, having started without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang against Liverpool. The Gabonese international is likely to replace Nicolas Pepe on the left-flank while Bukayo Saka should operate on the right-hand channel, with Reiss Nelson returning to the bench.
And finally, the Arsenal attack is set to be spearheaded by Alexandre Lacazette once again. The Frenchman is in an excellent run of form and should cause a lot of problems for the Manchester City backline this weekend.
