Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has told Pep Guardiola to start Kyle Walker against Arsenal to stop Gabriel Martinelli from thriving.
The north Londoners take on City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening in a match that could potentially decide the Premier League title. The Gunners currently sit five points clear of the Citizens at the top of the table but the reigning champions would climb above their title rivals by one point if they win both of their games in hand.
Ahead of Wednesday's mouthwatering encounter, Richards has urged Guardiola to reinstate Walker into the starting line-up as a way of stopping Arsenal attacker Martinelli in transition. "The pressure is off Arsenal because everyone expects City to win that game,” Richards told BBC Radio 5 Live.
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“One way to play against City is on the counter-attack. I would play [Kyle] Walker in that game to stop Martinelli.
"His pace is frightening. Everyone talks about [Bukayo] Saka and [Martin] Odegaard, but nobody talks about Martinelli. On transition, he is frightening."
Martinelli has netted 15 goals in the league this season, a tally that read even more impressive when you consider that none of those have come from the penalty spot. Arsenal will need the Brazilian international in peak form if they are to secure all three points away from home having failed to win away to City since January 2015.
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