Pep Guardiola says Nathan Ake's quality earned him a recall to the Manchester City starting line-up to take on Arsenal in a top-of-the-table clash at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
City beat Aston Villa at the weekend to move to within three points of Arsenal, knowing a win against Mikel Arteta's Gunners would see the Blues move to the top of the table for the first time since the second weekend of the campaign - albeit having played a game more than Arsenal.
To achieve that, Pep Guardiola made just one change to the side that beat Villa, with Nathan Ake replacing Aymeric Laporte in a back three, supported by Bernardo Silva and Rodri patrolling the defensive midfield areas.
