Following the international break, Arsenal will restart their Premier League campaign on Saturday when they lock horns with Manchester City. It is going to be yet another fascinating tactical battle between Mikel Arteta and his former mentor, Pep Guardiola. The Gunners have done well against the Sky Blues in recent months, and they will be hoping for a similar performance this weekend.
Predicted 3-4-3 Arsenal Lineup Vs Manchester City
Defence
Arsenal will continue to miss out on the services of Shkodran Mustafi, Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers heading into this game. However, Kieran Tierney is their latest absentee after the Scot came in close proximity with his compatriot Stuart Armstrong, who tested positive for the Coronavirus.
The Covid-19 protocol means Tierney will be unavailable for the Man City clash, thus guaranteeing a spot for Gabriel Magalhaes in the left side of the defence. He will form the three-man Arsenal backline alongside David Luiz and Rob Holding, both of who have been excellent in these early stages of the campaign.
Bernd Leno is the undisputed choice in goal. The German was frustrated to miss out on his clean sheet against Sheffield United, and things could get even more difficult against the mighty Man City attack.
Midfield
Arsenal fans will be excited to get the first glimpse of marquee signing Thomas Partey this weekend. The ex-Atletico Madrid star is in contention to feature as well, but he might not start this game, especially after coming back from the international break.
Mohamed Elneny could be in for another start, while Arteta could also retain the services of Granit Xhaka in central midfield. These two will hope to provide some solidity in double-pivot, with Dani Ceballos likely to feature in the second half, when the game is a bit more open.
Elsewhere, Hector Bellerin and Bukayo Saka are guaranteed starters in the wingback positions, although Ainsley Maitland-Niles is also pushing for a place in the starting lineup.
Attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a slight doubt heading into this fixture after picking up an ankle injury that forced him to withdraw from the international break. We do, however, expect him to recover in time to start at left-wing, with Willian once again getting the nod ahead of Nicolas Pepe on the opposite flank.
Should Aubameyang fail to recover, Saka could start at left-wing, with Maitland-Niles occupying the left wingback position.
Regardless, the Arsenal attack should be spearheaded by Alexandre Lacazette, who is hoping to find his scoring form, especially with Eddie Nketiah pushing for a place in the starting lineup.
