Ruben Diaz reveals which Arsenal player he is most afraid of meeting tomorrow: “I’m really scared of him, so facing him tomorrow is not going to be an easy task for me.” Not Havertz, nor Trossard
Following their victory against Tottenham in the crucial match on Sunday, Arsenal will travel to the Etihad Stadium this coming weekend to take on championship rivals Manchester City in another tough test.
Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, two crucial midfield players, were not available for Mikel Arteta’s encounter against Spurs in the North London Derby. However, Rice should be available for Man City following his one-match suspension. Although there were rumors that Odegaard may have been on the verge of returning for Sunday’s derby, his ankle injury initially appeared to be quite serious, raising some doubts about his current level of fitness.
How Manchester City might line up for Arsenal’s visit
Barring a major surprise from Arteta, Rice will undoubtedly return to the starting lineup for the trip to Manchester. The England international is likely to start in place of either Jorginho or Thomas Partey, and if Odegaard is unable to return, Kai Havertz will most likely return to midfield.
Raya; Saliba, Gabriel, White, Timber; Rice, Partey, Havertz; Martinelli, Trossard, Saka is the lineup that Arsenal is expected to field.
All in all, the Gunners have another excellent lineup, however for a crucial match like this one they would prefer to have Odegaard’s inventiveness. They may not see as much of the ball as normal in this game, but in some ways, they may benefit from Havertz’s increased physical presence and work rate in that position.
Arsenal is the team Manchester City expected to play.
Both teams have Champions League matches in the middle of the week, but City undoubtedly has a stronger roster than Arsenal and will make every effort to play at full strength after starting players like Rodri and Phil Foden on the bench against Brentford the previous weekend.
Ederson, Dias, Stones, Walker, Lewis; Rodri, Kovacic; Foden, De Bruyne, Savio; Haaland are the players Man City projected to start.
Knowing City’s starting lineup isn’t always simple because, as one might expect, there may be place for star players like Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan. However, Pep may decide to experiment a little and try something new before important games.
