Manchester City host Arsenal in Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off at the Etihad Stadium.
The Cityzens picked up their first victory of the campaign last weekend with a convincing 5-0 triumph over newly-promoted Norwich City.
They are firm favourites for the upcoming meeting against the Gunners, with their dominating league record against them since 2017.
They have beaten the Gunners in the last eight league encounters. Their only defeat during this period came in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
Ederson has been the undisputed starter in goal for the league and European games. He is expected to start between the sticks ahead of Zack Steffen.
John Stones has been working on his fitness in recent weeks after his late return to training after his international exploits for England.
He may have to settle for a bench role once more. Aymeric Laporte had a top display against the Canaries capped with a goal at the hour mark.
He is likely to continue to partner Ruben Dias in central defence. Kyle Walker appears a definite choice for Guardiola in the right-back spot.
With Benjamin Mendy suspended, it could be a fight between Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko for the left-back role once again.
The former started in the convincing win last weekend, and he is likely to keep his place.
Rodri appears set to continue in the holding midfield position ahead of Fernandinho. Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish could form the three-man pivot.
Grealish played on the left wing last time around, but he could drop into his preferred number eight role with Bernardo Silva dropping to the bench.
Gabriel Jesus excelled from the right-wing against Norwich, contributing two assists and orchestrating the own goal scored by goalkeeper Tim Krul.
The Brazilian looked revived in the position. There is a high possibility that he will start on the right side of the attack ahead of Riyad Mahrez.
This could see Ferran Torres continue to lead the line. The Cityzens don’t have any other specialist striker options in the squad at the moment.
We fancy Raheem Sterling to get the nod on the left-wing. The 26-year-old has an excellent record against the Gunners, scoring in the last four meetings.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
Read: Mark Lawrenson states his prediction for Manchester City vs Arsenal.
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