Every Champions League clash is huge, regardless of what phase we’re in. Just like every matchup between Arsenal and Manchester City is massive. So there really is no chance to really rest, or do squad rotation, or anything like that here. Pep Guardiola is going to have to go full bore here, once again.
He needs to go strongest team available, from the start, for this one.
Arsenal vs Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Sept. 22, 4:30pm, Emirates Stadium
Team News: Arsenal FC Manchester City
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal FC Manchester City
Google Result Probability: Arsenal FC 49% Manchester City 25% Draw 26%
PL Standing: Arsenal FC 2nd, 9 pts Manchester City 8th, 6 pts
Rodri is a doubt for this one, and this is of course a massive advantage then for Arsenal. You can talk about Erling Haaland all you want, the Ballon d’Or winner is the man who makes or breaks a given Manchester City campaign; period.
Thus his availability/unavailability is what could ultimately decide this match here.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction at Arsenal
Gianluigi Donnarumma; Abdudoki Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Ake; Rodri; Oscar Bobb, Savinho, Rico Lewis, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter