Arsenal will play hosts to Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night hoping to secure a win and book a place in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup. The Gunners are winless in their last three matches in the Premier League, so they will be desperate to put on a much-improved performance versus Pep Guardiola’s men in midweek.
Mikel Arteta will probably set his team up in a 3-4-3 formation but could be inclined to make a few changes to his first XI for this cup encounter at home. Both Gabriel and Reiss Nelson could get the nod to start against Man City which would mean that Willian and David Luiz will drop to the bench.
3-4-3 Arsenal Predicted Lineup To Face Manchester City
Defence
Bernd Leno could retain his place in goal for the Gunners as Arteta might not take any chances versus the Mancunian giants in midweek. Gabriel should return from suspension to lineup alongside Kieran Tierney and Rob Holding in the centre-back positions.
The North London outfit have not kept a clean sheet in each of their past seven matches across all competitions. Therefore, Arteta will demand that his back three can produce a valiant defensive display versus the reigning EFL Cup champions on Tuesday.
Midfield
Mohamed Elneny will play along with Joe Willock as the holding midfielders as they look to work hard towards offering adequate protection for their teammates at the back. Bukayo Saka could get another chance to impress down the left flank while Hector Bellerin looks to cause a few problems for the opposition on the other side as the right wing-back.
Dani Ceballos and Emile Smith Rowe will be available for selection on Arteta’s bench as they wait for their opportunity to come on and make an impact as the second half substitutes if needed.
Attack
The Arsenal frontline will be comprised of Reiss Nelson, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe. All three attackers will have to figure out a way to carve open the Man City defence in midweek. Pepe got his name on the scoresheet versus Everton on Saturday which will give him some confidence heading into this midweek encounter in the EFL Cup.
Gabriel Martinelli will make up the numbers on the Gunners bench but could come on to influence the game in the latter stages of the contest if needed.
