De Bruyne and Gundogan return, Predicted Manchester City line-up (4-3-3) vs Arsenal – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Manchester City make the trip to the Emirates Stadium for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal.
The Cityzens have been in sublime form over the past few months and they are currently on a stunning 17-match winning run across all competitions.
That streak has included 12 successive wins in the league which sees them comfortably at the top of the table with a 10-point lead over Manchester United and Leicester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side will face the Gunners in tomorrow’s late kick-off. Their league record against them has been exceptional since November 2017 with seven straight victories.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
Ederson will continue between the sticks for the Cityzens. The Brazilian is leading the Premier League Golden Glove race with 14 clean sheets, two more than Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez. He will be aiming for another shut-out tomorrow.
In the backline, there may be a couple of changes.
Kyle Walker may be rested and that should see Joao Cancelo return to the right-back spot, having featured on the opposite side against Everton in midweek.
In this case, Oleksandr Zinchenko is the likely starter at left-back ahead of Benjamin Mendy.
At the heart of the defence, Ruben Dias and John Stones should be paired together meaning that Aymeric Laporte will drop to the bench after starting back-to-back games.
Kevin De Bruyne had only a 10-minute cameo against the Toffees but we fancy him to at least feature for an hour against the Gunners.
He is likely to make up the three-man midfield alongside Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan, who recently returned to training after a minor groin concern.
Gundogan has been in exceptional form since mid-December with 11 goals in his previous 12 top-flight matches.
He recently scored braces against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur before the untimely injury which saw him miss the trip to Goodison Park.
Further forward, Bernardo Silva is likely to get the nod over Riyad Mahrez on the right wing.
Both players starred in the win over the Toffees but Silva has been the more consistent performer and should feature ahead of Mahrez.
Gabriel Jesus has been leading the line regularly in the absence of Sergio Aguero, who is still working his way back to full fitness.
The Brazilian may drop to the bench for this game which would see Phil Foden play in the false nine role like he did against Liverpool.
On the left side of the attack, Raheem Sterling is pretty much an undisputed starter.
The England international has excelled against the Gunners. He has bagged a goal or an assist in seven of the last eight league meetings against the north London side.
Predicted Manchester City line-up (4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko; Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan; Silva, Foden, Sterling.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com