Arsenal will be bidding to advance to the FA Cup fifth round on Friday evening when they travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.
The Gunners passed another acid test in the Premier League on Sunday by beating an in-form Manchester United 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at the Emirates Stadium. They hold a five-point lead at the summit of the league and are in peak form at the moment.
Mikel Arteta’s side overcame Oxford United 3-0 away in the previous round and will look to beat Man City, who head into this game on the back of a comprehensive 3-0 league win over Wolves last weekend.
Arsenal Team News
Polish defender Jakub Kiwior signed for Arsenal from Italian club Spezia on Monday and should be available to face Man City in the FA Cup.
On the injury front, the Gunners don’t have any fresh concerns, with Gabriel Jesus, Reiss Nelson and Mohamed Elneny the only absentees.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup vs Man City (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Aaron Ramsdale was at fault for Man United’s second goal as he spilled the corner-kick and into the path of Lisandro Martinez to score a flying header. Nonetheless, he has been fantastic in goal this season and will be in a buoyant mood heading into the game at City.
Defence
Mikel Arteta is likely to keep faith with the same players rather than risk losing momentum at the toughest venue to visit. This means a back four of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Oleksandr Zinchenko should start.
White will want to put in a strong performance at City after being taken off at half-time for tactical reasons, while Zinchenko looks to prove himself against his former employers. They will start at full-back positions, with Saliba partnering Gabriel at the heart of the Arsenal backline as the duo look to keep an in-form Erling Haaland at bay.
Midfield
A midfield trio of Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard are expected to start at the Etihad Stadium. Partey’s presence just in front of the Arsenal defence allows Xhaka and Odegaard to create chances and do the damage in the final third. However, they have to function very well together to dominate a strong City midfield on Friday.
Albert Sambi Lokonga and Fabio Vieira will again have to be content with spots on the bench.
Attack
Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka starred in Arsenal’s win over Man United, with the former scoring a brace including the stoppage-time winner. Saka found himself on the scoresheet too, and two academy boys’ confidence will be sky-high going into the cup fixture against City.
Gabriel Martinelli should complete the Gunners’ front three, with new signing Leandro Trossard and Emile Smith Rowe hoping to make an impact off the bench.
