Arsenal take on reigning English Champions this weekend at The Etihad Stadium. The Gunners travel fresh from a mid-week Champions League victory against French champions Montpellier, and will be looking forward to extending their winning run.
City had been impressive in their Champions League fixture against Spanish giants Real Madrid. The club managed to go ahead on two occasions courtesy of goals by Edin Dzeko and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Aleksandar-Kolarov-c4475. However, Madrid managed to equalize and took the lead in
the dying minutes.
City will be wary of the goal scoring threat Arsenal possess, and with their recent defensive record, they look susceptible of conceding. Arsenal have been overall good in all areas, especially in defence. The Gunners have only conceded a goal in 4 Premier
League games, and will hope their defensive form can produce another clean sheet.
Arsenal
Expected starting line-up:
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lukas-Podolski-c22896, Olivier Giroud, Gervinho.
Mannone returned to the team after http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wojciech-Szczesny-c36998 suffered a minor ankle twist in the 6-1 victory against Southampton. The Italian keeper put in another solid shift in front of goal two days ago against Montpellier in the Champions League.
Arsenal are still without first choice right-back http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Bacary-Sagna-c7148, but an impressive series of performances by Carl Jenkinson have not made the Frenchman’s absence a major worry for the team.
The solid defensive partnership between Vermaelen and Mertesacker continues to keep http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Laurent-Koscielny-c21742 on the bench, despite the fact that the Frenchman was the Gunners’ best defender last season.
In midfield, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Abou-Diaby-c3453 returns after having missed the game against Southampton. The Frenchman will pair up with Arteta and Cazorla once again to form what has been the most solid and effective midfield in the league so far.
Up front, the inform http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gervinho-c14755 and Podolski start on the wings to provide the team with some width. Both players have 2 goals in the league to their name, and will feed striker Olivier Giroud, who will start in the centre.
Giroud has still not scored for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 since he moved to The Emirates from Montpellier, and will be hoping to open his account against the English Champions.
Manchester City
Expected line-up:
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Carlos-c8346 Tevez.
Fresh from a defeat at the hands of Madrid, City will be eyeing a victory at The Etihad. There are a few changes to be expected from the team that played in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mancini-c23323 will make full use of the squad depth he has at his disposal.
Two changes are expected at the back, with Zabaleta and Lescott returning to the team. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Maicon-c23157, who started against Madrid, will be dropped on the bench as City look towards more reliable and defensive cover. New signing Matija Nastasic was impressive against
Madrid, but will make way for a more physical and experienced presence in the form of Joleon Lescott.
City will have the same midfield that they fielded against Madrid, except perhaps this time, the team will have three midfielders. Toure, Barry and Garcia will plug the centre, while David Silva will play behind a possible striker duo. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Samir-Nasri-c32360 suffered
a hamstring strain on Tuesday, and is expected to be out for at least two weeks.
Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko are expected to start together, with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Sergio-c33030 Aguero on the bench having made a return from a hamstring injury. City definitely have a strong bench, and will be hoping to take advantage of their squad depth.
Prediction
Manchester City 1-1 Arsenal
Since City are playing at home, I expect them to have the edge over Arsenal. However, the Gunners have been impressive in all areas of the pitch, and have it in them to cause an upset. I predict a draw, with both teams being a little cautious at the back.
However, with the attacking tenacity both teams possess, I predict goals from both sides.
Tags: