4-3-3 Arsenal’s predicted line up vs Man City: What changes will Arteta make?
At a crucial moment in their pursuit of the Premier League title, Arsenal have lost control and their hopes of winning will be completely destroyed if they are defeated by Manchester City.
Despite playing two more games than their rivals, the Gunners have drawn their last three league matches and now only hold a five-point lead over City.
The upcoming midweek match between the two teams is absolutely essential for Arteta and his players, as City are now in a position of power in the title race.
While Arsenal were previously seen as favourites to win, their recent string of setbacks makes it difficult to predict their chances of success.
Arsenal’s recent record shows that they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six matches, and they have not won any of their previous five meetings with Pep Guardiola’s team. In their last encounter in February, the Gunners lost 3-1 at home.
Given these statistics, the odds seem to be against Arsenal, and they will need to put in a great deal of effort to defeat Manchester City.
If they win, they will keep their title aspirations alive, but if they fail to secure three points, Guardiola’s squad is likely to overpower them.
Arsenal’s team news and injuries:
The absence of William Saliba due to a lingering lower back injury is going to be the most significant setback for Arsenal in terms of injuries.
Although Mikel Arteta has suggested that Saliba may still have a chance of being fit for the midweek match, the manager did not sound particularly hopeful about the player’s recovery.
“The picture hasn’t changed from last week. Regarding William, we still have to wait a little bit more,” Arteta had told the press before the Saints game.
“He is not progressing as quick as we hoped. It’s a bit delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we will take and at the moment that’s not possible to do.
“I don’t know, it’s a bit early to do [predictions]. Probably next week we are going to have more certainty. There is some evolution, he is doing more activity, but he is not there yet to start to throw him on the pitch at the level that the sessions demand to compete in this league.”
If Saliba is still unavailable, it will be a significant setback for Arsenal, and Rob Holding will likely retain his place in the starting lineup. Although Xhaka was absent from the previous game due to a fever, he is expected to be fit to play against Manchester City, which means that Vieira may be relegated to the bench.
Mikel Arteta faces a difficult decision regarding Gabriel Jesus, who had a disappointing performance in the previous game. The Arsenal manager also has Trossard, who can play in the centre, so this will be a crucial decision. Jesus started his tenure at the Emirates well, but since returning from injury, he has performed below expectations.
Arsenal predicted line up vs Manchester City:
Predicted Starting Line up(4-3-3): Ramsdale: Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Ben White; Granit Xhaka, Partey, Odegaard; Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Jesus/Trossard.
4-3-3 Arsenal’s predicted line up vs Man City: What changes will Arteta make?