It will be a case of apprentice against mentor when Mikel Arteta takes his side to the Etihad to face former colleague Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City side who have seemed to lose their air of invincibility and are placed five points and ten places behind their visitors.
Venue- Etihad Stadium
Date- 17th Oct 2020
Time- 22:00 IST
MANCHESTER CITY:
1. Pep's side have been dealt a major blow when Kevin De Bruyne was taken off in his first match for Belgium and withdrew from the squad for their final game against Iceland. Pep would not risk it if his star player is not a 100% fit but will dearly miss the talismanic midfielder who was involved in the last seven of eight goals scored against The Gunners.
2. Raheem Sterling skipped international duty due to a hamstring issue which was more of a precaution than a serious injury, so he might start. Ilkay Gundogan is back and fully fit, with Zinchenko nearing full fitness too.
3. Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus are still unavailable, Aguero is nearing full fitness but certainly cannot start a match yet.
Expected Lineups:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Mendy; Foden, Rodri, Gundogan; Bernardo, Mahrez, Sterling
ARSENAL:
1. Aubameyang withdrew from the Gabon squad but is expected to be match fit.
2. Mikel Arteta will hope Kieran Tierney will be available who has to self isolate after coming in close contact with Scottish teammate Stuart Armstrong who tested positive for Covid-19.
3. Marquee signing Thomas Partey is available to start and can highly step up the quality of Arteta's side.
Expected Lineups:
Leno; Bellerin, Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney; Ceballos, Partey, Saka; Willian, Lacazette, Aubameyang