Pep Guardiola (who announced today that he’s leaving the club once his contract is up) will welcome a familiar face in Mikel Arteta when Manchester City hosts Arsenal at the Etihad on Saturday. What is their team news looking like at the moment?
Last week, the reigning Premier League champions got their campaign back on track as they pulled of a thumping 5-0 win over Norwich City. With the visitors not in the best of form, the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish will be waiting to pounce.
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The big injury news is that Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out of the game. This is a big blow for Guardiola, given how much the Belgian likes to play against the Gunners. Another player who could miss out is centre-back John Stones, who is yet to play this season.
Benjamin Mendy will not be a part of the squad after he was suspended by the club due to his being charged with rape and sexual assault. There is a police investigation on going, and he is mandated to be appear in court tomorrow. He will remain suspended until the investigation concludes.
City have yet another injury to worry about, as Phil Foden is not expected to return until next month.
Despite this, the hosts can still put up a really strong team to take on the north Londoners. Guardiola’s men have gotten the better of the visitors on many occasions and will be quietly confident of their chances. Should the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Grealish get to run at the opposition defence, it will be tough for them to keep this attack at bay.
The absence of De Bruyne is a problem as it affects their ability to keep control over the proceedings. And the visitors do possess some danger on the counter which will have to be nullified.
If Manchester City play their natural game, it is going to be an easy win for them.
Guardiola will want to see his team seize control of the game from the first minute and look to put Arsenal on the back foot.