Manchester City will move above Arsenal in the Premier League table if they can secure the victory over the Gunners on Wednesday night, with the two sides meeting at the Emirates Stadium.
The Blues cruised to a comfortable victory over Aston Villa in the top flight at the weekend, with Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez all on the scoresheet in the 3-1 win. It was a good response to the defeat to Tottenham in the previous encounter, but the injury to star striker Erling Haaland came as a blow to Pep Guardiola.
While the 22-year-old forward was pictured in training on Monday, Guardiola admitted during his press conference that he would have to wait for the session on Tuesday before deciding on whether the Norwegian ace could play a part in the match.
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Here's how MEN-reading City fans think the team should line up for the clash against the Gunners:
Goalkeeper - Ederson
While the majority of City players have to compete for a position, Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson is firmly first-choice. The 29-year-old shot-stopper has been impressive for the Blues this season, and he will be aiming to record his ninth clean sheet of the campaign against Mikel Arteta's men.
Defenders - Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake
Guardiola went with a back three against Villa, with Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte making up the defence. However, City fans want the Blues to return to a back four against the Gunners - and they have backed Nathan Ake to start at left-back in the crucial tie. With Arsenal having performed so well this term, it would not come as a surprise if City went with an additional defender for the game.
Walker is comfortable playing as part of a back three, but given that he is likely to be up against Gabriel Martinelli, a return to right-back makes sense. John Stones is out injured, so Blues supporters want to see Dias and Laporte play together at the heart of defence. Guardiola could potentially go with Manuel Akanji, but he dropped to the bench for the game against Villa on Sunday.
Midfielders - Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne
Although Gundogan was on the scoresheet against Villa, City fans have called for Bernardo Silva to play in midfield alongside Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne. The German ace performed well against the Midlands outfit, but the Blues will have to forfeit one of their central midfielders if they are to play an additional defender.
The decision to start De Bruyne on the bench in the defeat to Spurs did not go down well, especially given that he has registered 17 assists in all competitions this season. Understandably, then, he has been backed to start in the crunch game on Wednesday night, while Rodri - who was also on the scoresheet against Villa - is a vital cog in the Blues' machine.
Forwards - Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish
It remains to be seen if Haaland will be fit enough to play against Arsenal, but he will be given every opportunity to prove his fitness before kick-off. Even if the frontman is unable to play the full 90 minutes, City supporters are still keen for the striker to start against the Gunners. The former Borussia Dortmund man has registered 31 goals already this campaign.
Meanwhile, Jack Grealish has looked much-improved in recent weeks and is expected to start on the left wing. The England international will be keen to improve on his goal return, but he has still been performing well. On the other wing, Riyad Mahrez has been one of the team's standout performers this season and Blues fans will be desperate for him to get on the scoresheet.
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