Predicted Starting Line-Up: Manchester City vs Arsenal (Premier League)

Manchester City return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon with a mouthwatering meeting against title challengers Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola and his players will be hoping to maintain their run of winning matches in this season’s top-flight, having claimed victories in all of their first four matches this season – twice at home, and twice away.

The free-scoring Premier League champions were however brought to a halt by Italian champions Inter on matchday one of the new league phase format in the UEFA Champions League, having been held to a 0-0 draw.

City have not been left overly concerned by the outcome of the contest, creating numerous chances to win the game and knowing that there are seven more matches to correct their early dropped points in the tournament.

As for Arsenal, they will be looking to bounce back from their own 0-0 draw at the hands of Atalanta in Bergamo in Champions League action, knowing that defeat at the Etihad will leave them five points behind Pep Guardiola’s squad.

On the injury front, Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb are confirmed absentees for Manchester City, whilst Kevin De Bruyne is subject to a late assessment during the club’s final training session on Saturday, having sustained a groin problem on Wednesday night.

Martin Odegaard is the most notable of Arsenal’s absentees from Sunday’s clash, with the Gunners’ club captain ruled out with an ankle injury sustained whilst on duty with Norway during the last international break.

Ahead of Manchester City’s meeting with Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend, here is how we believe Pep Guardiola could line-up his squad in the 16:30 kick-off!

Predicted XI

There will be no changes in goal this weekend; Ederson will start for Manchester City.

Having largely retained his place as Manchester City’s first-choice right-back during the opening weeks of the season, we believe Rico Lewis will continue in the role for the visit of Arsenal this weekend.

We believe Guardiola will also remain unchanged in the central defensive roles against the travelling Gunners, as Ruben Dias partners Manuel Akanji in a physical pairing to take on Arsenal’s attacking line.

With Nathan Ake remaining ruled out through injury, Pep Guardiola largely has no choice but to start Josko Gvardiol at left-back, and given the Croatian’s form, nobody will be complaining, either.

The Ballon d’Or chasing Rodrigo will start for Manchester City in the lone central defensive midfield position. He’s back, and he’ll largely be here to stay, too.

Ahead of the Spaniard is where things are most uncertain, but we believe it will be the duo from the second-half of the 0-0 draw against Inter that will start this one, in a pairing of Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden.

Despite impressive performances throughout his appearances at Manchester City so far, we’re of the belief that Guardiola will seek runners, positional versatility, and control in possession, as such starting Bernardo Silva on the right of the front-three.

Erling Haaland will start up front, hoping to score his 100th goal in a Manchester City shirt.

Moving over to the left and completing Manchester City’s line-up against Arsenal, we believe Pep Guardiola will continue to show faith in Jack Grealish and opt for the Englishman’s in-possession qualities over Jeremy Doku’s attacking intensity and direct flair.

Starting XI: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodrigo, Gundogan, Foden; Bernardo, Haaland, Grealish.

Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Walker, Stones, Kovacic, Nunes, McAtee, De Bruyne, Savinho, Doku.