Just three weeks on from a hard-fought 2-2 draw at the Emirates, Arsenal and Manchester City are set to do battle once again.
This time at Wembley, with a place in the FA Cup final up for grabs, both will be equally bullish about their chances of moving one step closer towards securing silverware this term.
After a topsy-turvy start to life in England, Pep Guardiola’s side have only lost on three occasions since the turn of the year. Arsenal have disappointed considerably since the start of 2017, being defeated by less-fancied sides in remarkable fashion along the way. Naturally, confidence isn’t high despite a narrow away win over Middlesbrough on Monday evening.
Press conference
Arsène Wenger spoke about a range of different topics during his pre-match presser, including the significance of this fixture in regards to Arsenal’s season.
When questioned about the players’ mindset and how a poor run of results could be rectified , Wenger remained characteristically firm with his statements.
“Every competition brings a psychological atmosphere,” Wenger said. “We have seen teams not doing well in the Premier League and then suddenly they are doing very well in a different competition.
“They don’t carry the negative vibes of bad experiences in this competition.”
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Many were surprised to see Wenger change his tactical system against Middlesbrough, using three central defenders and two opposing wing-backs. One of the main reasons behind this decision was Shkodran Mustafi’s thigh injury – one which will keep him out of contention against the Citizens on Sunday.
Wenger admitted the same 3-5-2 formation is “an option”, but refused to confirm whether he’d start with it.
“It [the new system] was more destined to give us a bit more defensive solidity because recently away from home we conceded too many goals,” Wenger added.
David Ospina (back) and Danny Welbeck (toe) are not expected to feature, though the latter will have a late fitness test to assess whether he’s fit enough for a place on the substitutes’ bench.
Team news
It’s unlikely that Wenger will want to change too much within the side, especially given the step-up in quality that they’ll be against this weekend.
City pose a completely different threat to Middlesbrough and although Monday’s hosts didn’t prevail, it could have easily went either way for large parts of the game
A significant test to see if Arsenal’s new system works is against the league’s best sides and City definitely are one of those.
It would be a surprise to see the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rob Holding dropped after impressive performances last time out, whilst Theo Walcott could start – but Olivier Giroud’s aerial presence and positioning would most likely be preferred to Walcott’s direct running, especially if Alexis is up-top too.
Possible XI (3-5-2): Cech; Gabriel, Koscielny, Holding; Ox, Monreal, Ramsey, Xhaka, Özil; Alexis, Giroud.
The opposition
City have recorded consecutive victories over Hull and Southampton, boosting their aspirations of a top-four finish in the process.
They’ve got some mixed team news to factor into Pep’s selection prior to kick-off on Sunday.
Bacary Sagna (groin) and John Stones (muscle) are both unavailable until next weekend at the earliest, whilst creative midfielder, Ilkay Gundogan, is their only long-term absentee.
Pep confirmed the news that exciting Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus (foot) could make his highly-anticipated return following a fractured metatarsal injury picked up back in February.
Vincent Kompany excelled against Southampton last weekend, both defensively and in attack – heading home his first goal since netting against Chelsea during a 3-0 win at the start of last season.
City’s imposing captain has been restricted to only 520 senior minutes of football this term but his importance to the team when fit cannot be understated.
He has big game experience and his presence at the back would make it all the more of a tough fixture for Arsenal to break them down.
Possible XI (4-1-4-1): Bravo; Clichy, Kompany, Otamendi, Navas; Fernandinho; Sané, Silva, de Bruyne, Sterling; Aguero.