Man City vs Arsenal: Preview, predictions and lineups

Manchester City host Arsenal on Gameweek 30 of the 2023/24 Premier League season which promises to be a thrilling contest with big ramifications on the title race.

The current champions come up against the current leaders, with Liverpool watching on very closely after their match against Brighton earlier in the day. Any of those three teams could be top of the table come the end of Sunday’s action.

The build-up to the game has been dominated by injuries to important Man City players, with the international break proving to be very costly for the Cityzens. That puts the pressure back on Arsenal to beat a weakened City team and take real charge of the title race.

Here is 90min’s preview of Man City vs Arsenal.

The international break was something of a sickener for Pep Guardiola, as he saw two of his best defenders suffer injuries that have ruled them out of this game. John Stones and Kyle Walker were both injured on international duty and both would likely have started here.

Luckily, Manuel Akanji’s potential injury seems to be minor and should be fit enough to feature, whilst there is a good chance that Ederson will return between the sticks after his recent issue. Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish are fit enough to play, whilst a late call will have to be made on Matheus Nunes.

Man City predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-3-3): Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Akanji, Ake; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Foden, Haaland, Doku.

The international break did not make for good viewing from an Arsenal perspective either. Bukayo Saka withdrew from the England squad with an issue but he should be able to start, while Gabriel Magalhaes is in the same position.

Gabriel Martinelli has been recovering from a foot injury and he is expected to start, although it may be touch and go. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Thomas Partey played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against QPR this week and should both be fit enough for the bench.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs Man City (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.

This promises to be a brilliant game to cap off the weekend’s Premier League action, with the Liverpool match having taken place earlier in the afternoon. There is still an aura around Man City that makes it hard to bet against them, but the injuries are a genuine cause for concern.

Despite that, Guardiola’s side always seem to hit their stride just when they really need and while Arsenal will push them all the way, the champions should find a way to win and they could be two points ahead of the Gunners by the end of the day.