Arsenal will face off against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final tonight, and will hope to reach the final of the competition three years after winning it for the 13th time.
The Gunners have had a difficult season, but things seem to be turning around under Mikel Arteta, who will go up against Pep Guardiola for the second time since becoming the manager of the North London club.
In that meeting, the Gunners were beaten 3-0 by City in the Premier League. But, the Gunners come into this game with a confident – and surprising – win against league champions, Liverpool.
Arsenal Team News
Arteta has several injuries to deal with ahead of the match against City. Goalkeeper Bernd Leno, youngster Gabriel Martinelli, and defenders Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari will all miss the game through injury.
Striker Eddie Nketiah is suspended after his red card against Leicester City, while Matteo Guendouzi will not make the Arsenal lineup once again after a falling out with Arteta. Mesut Ozil, who has not played since the restart, may also miss the game.
Let’s take a look at how Arsenal could line up when they face Manchester City on Saturday:
Predicted Arsenal Lineup vs Manchester City
Goalkeeper
Emiliano Martínez put in a very good game against Liverpool last time around, and he should continue in goal for the Gunners.
Defence
Arteta could continue with the three-man defence that, sort of, kept Liverpool at bay. Rob Holding could drop out of the Arsenal lineup for Shkodran Mustafi, while David Luiz and Kieran Tierney should play alongside him in the back three.
Cedric Soares and Bukayo Saka should keep their positions at right wing-back and left wing-back in the Arsenal lineup.
Midfield
Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, who started against Liverpool, could keep their places in the Arsenal XI. Arteta will need the experience and leadership of Xhaka and the tenacity of Torreira in the Gunners midfield against City. Dani Ceballos is another option for Arteta in that position.
Attack
Captain Pierre–Emerick Aubameyang should come into the Arsenal lineup in place of Nicolas Pepe, while Alexandre Lacazette and Reiss Nelson could keep their places in the lineup.
