Arsenal will be eager to seek vengeance against Manchester City as the two sides meet once again tomorrow.
The Gunners are coming on the back of a disappointing Carabao Cup defeat against the Sky Blues, a defeat which attracted a barrage of criticism from the fans and experts alike. Therefore, head coach Arsene Wenger will be looking to get things right, up against the high flying Manchester City.
City, on the other hand, have been terrific, to say the least. The Manchester giants registered their first silverware of the season, after a 3:0 drubbing of Arsenal and will be eager to continue that run this week. A win for the visitors will hand them an astonishing 16 point lead over second placed Manchester United.
Here’s the predicted Arsenal lineup to feature against the Sky Blues this midweek.
Defence
Petr Cech will be the man between the sticks for the Gunners. The veteran keeper didn’t feature in the defeat against Manchester City last week but will be looking to make an impression in the league fixture between the two sides on Thursday.
Head coach Arsene Wenger will likely revert to a four-man backline this week, meaning Calum Chambers, who featured against City in the final, will have to settle for the bench with Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny comprising Arsenal’s central defence.
Nacho Monreal will miss out with a back issue and Sead Kolasinac will be deployed as the left back while Hector Bellerin starts on the right-hand side of the defence.
Midfield
Jack Wilshere is expected to retain his place in the starting eleven. He will start in central midfield, alongside Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka.
Xhaka, in particular, definitely needs to step up his game, if he is to make an impression in the Arsenal starting lineup while Ramsey will once again be Arsenal’s main man in central midfield. The Welshman has the ability to make a difference with his dynamism and tenacity in the final third.
Attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will lead the line for Arsenal this week. Since scoring on his debut in the Premier League, the Gabonese superstar is yet to score a goal for the Gunners.
Aubameyang will be partnered by Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, both of whom will be deployed in a much wider role. The link-up play between Arsenal’s front trio will once again be crucial as the hosts will go looking to penetrate the opposition lines.
