It's game day! For the second time in the Premier League this season and a third time across all competitions, Arsenal and Manchester City lock horns.
Of the two teams, Mikel Arteta's side are not in great form and that's despite being unbeaten in the Premier League since losing to tonight's opponents in the reverse meeting at the Emirates Stadium back in February. But three straight draws against Liverpool, West Ham United and Southampton outweigh those positives.
Therefore, ahead of the top two teams in the country going head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium, Arsenal's lead at the summit currently stands at five and victory for either side, whilst it won't be decisive, could play a huge role in the outcome of this season's title race.
READ MORE: Arsenal predicted XI vs Manchester City as Arteta takes Rob Holding gamble and Xhaka starts
It remains to be seen if Arteta has any trick up his sleeve with regard to the Gunners' starting line-up especially as some supporters are calling for Jakub Kiwior to replace Rob Holding in central defence. On the other hand, Pep Guardiola has the luxury of a virtually fully fit first-team squad to choose from with defender Nathan Ake the only confirmed absentee.
"Hopefully he can come back soon but for tomorrow he is out. I don’t know about Madrid," the Man City boss told reporters ahead of the Arsenal game. "Yeah [it’s a blow] but we will find the right player to do it," he added. "I don’t have doubts about that, we'll play with 11."
In terms of replacements for Ake, Aymeric Laporte is the most obvious candidate but it's worth pointing out that Bernardo Silva was tasked with operating at left-back against the Gunners at the Emirates a couple of months ago so that could be an alternative option for Guardiola.
But how will City line-up for the big game? Well, as per our friends at the Manchester Evening News, the predicted team has Ederson, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne all starting after they were rested for the 3-0 FA Cup semi-final win over Sheffield United at the weekend.
Furthermore, the aforementioned Bernardo Silva is being tipped to continue on the right-hand side of City's attack - which means no place for Wembley hat-trick hero Riyad Mahrez or the fit-again Phil Foden - alongside Jack Grealish and the Premier League's leading scorer Erling Haaland.
Predicted Man City team vs Arsenal: Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Laporte; Stones, Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan; Silva, Haaland, Grealish
With the Norway international just two goals away from equalling a record - three from claiming the record outright - for most goals scored in a single Premier League season, he took to social media on Tuesday and posted a rather ominous warning to the Arsenal defenders.
On Instagram, Haaland uploaded a picture of himself in training, with the caption: "Cannot. Wait."
Of course, the Haaland factor is not lost on Arteta with the Arsenal manager heaping praise on the City number 9 ahead of the game: "When you look at the numbers, there is no comparison with anybody else," the Spaniard said. "He's able to produce that as well because the setup is done in the right way for him.
"Even with him they have the capacity to play in a different way. We are working on their threats and their weaknesses. We know what they are. With City it starts with the goalkeeper. Just focus on us. We know what they can do. They can do so many things that you have to be adaptable."
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