After stumbling against Manchester United, Man City have got back to winning ways by beating Spurs and then Wolves and now, they will face Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
City have been the star team in England in the last couple of years but this time around, Arsenal have taken that mantle as Mikel Arteta’s team are currently the top team in the Premier League. Man City are lagging behind the Gunners so Pep Guardiola will look at this FA Cup game as a must-win because this might just be the only silverware they win this campaign.
Manchester City have a stellar record against the Gunners as they have scored 12 goals in their previous four meetings. However, this is the first time these two sides will be meeting this season so Guardiola and his boys will have to be on their toes.
Perhaps for the first time, it’s Man City who will be going into this tie as not the favourites simply cause Arsenal have been in peak form. This one is slated to be one of the most scintillating matches of the season and because it’s an FA Cup tie, there won’t be any holding back.
Man City’s team news and injuries:
Pep Guardiola opted for a three-man backline against Wolves but that’s going to change in midweek.
Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker were all rested in that 3-0 win but they will all come back into the starting line up on Friday night.
Kalvin Phillips played 13-odd minutes against Wolves and there’s a chance that he could be handed a start vs the Gunners. It’s really hard to predict this one because Guardiola has this habit of making surprise changes in cup ties.
Gundogan could be replaced by Bernardo Silva in midfield but Kevin de Bruyne will most certainly hold onto his place in the side.
Grealish had another superb outing for Man City but after this game, City will face Spurs in the Premier League so their manager will most likely rest Grealish and bring Phil Foden into the side.
Julian Alvarez is an option up front but we don’t think Guardiola will dare keep Erling Haaland on the bench, especially after his hat trick against Wolves.
Man City predicted line up vs Arsenal:
Predicted Starting Line up(4-2-3-1): Ederson; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Akanji, Walker; Rodri/Phillips, Silva; De Bruyne, Foden, Mahrez; Haaland.
