Man City vs. Arsenal lineups are projected, with Mikel Arteta's injury issues continuing.
Arsenal will go to the Etihad Stadium without the injured William Saliba in a bid to halt Manchester City's momentum, with Pep Guardiola poised to ring the changes.
Mikel Arteta is in a pickle with his Arsenal starting lineup vs Manchester City.
Is he sticking or twisting? Keep Rob Holding in center defense, who struggled against Erling Haaland's pace and toughness in the FA Cup match and was replaced at halftime.
Or twist and move Ben White into central defense alongside Gabriel to add additional pace and the ability to build and play out from the back?
The only plausible option might be to play Kieran Tierney at left back and Oleksandr Zinchenko as an inverted full back into midfield on the right.
But, having resisted so far in the absence of William Saliba, my guess is he'll go with Holding, a solid defender who, like Tierney, doesn't quite fit into the Arteta football philosophy.
Holding is such a popular member of the squad that it is a big call, possibly the biggest of all because Granit Xhaka is expected to return after missing last Friday's draw with Southampton due to sickness.
The main problem up front is whether to make a huge call on Leandro Trossard, but given Bukayo Saka's form, Gabriel Martinelli's pace, and Gabriel Jesus' knowledge of City, I think he sticks with his front line as well.
Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, is expected to revert to his strongest XI after juggling his options for the FA Cup semi-final victory against Sheffield United. This means that hat-trick hero Riyad Mahrez might be dropped to the bench, with Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva returning to the wings.
Erling Haaland, who scored in the rematch at the Emirates, is closing in on additional records and has expressed his delight on social media. Kevin De Bruyne, a City playmaker, will also return to the middle.
In the backline, Aymeric Laporte might replace Nathan Ake, who has been a regular recently. The Spanish defender might join a back four that includes Manuel Akanji, John Stones, and Ruben Dias, who has emphasized the significance of the match.
"I think we've been on form at the right time for a long time now," he remarked. It's that time of year when you're either in or out of the Champions League knockout rounds, as well as the Premier League."
Arsenal's expected starting lineup is as follows: Ramsdale, White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Jesus.
Man City's expected starting eleven is as follows: Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Dias, Laporte, De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Grealish, and Haaland.
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