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Arsenal v Man City – Confirmed Team News, Build-up & Predicted Line-up

Arsenal will be without five first-team players for their top-four clash with Manchester City.

The Gunners have been in top form of late, winning five matches on the bounce in all competitions, but today’s task will be much tougher to overcome.

Manchester City are the best team in the division so far, running over a number of teams, including us in our opening month of the term (when we had a number of absences due to Coronavirus and injury). They seem to be at their peak currently also, winning all seven of their PL fixtures in December, scoring 18 goals in their last four matches combined.

The Citizens are closing in on a third consecutive PL title with an eight-point gap over their nearest rivals, while we sit 15 points behind them in fourth.

We go into today’s game without our manager also, with Mikel Arteta forced to watch from home after he tested positive for Coronavirus. The team will also be without five players for the matchup as confirmed by Football.London, including further Covid-sufferers Takehiro Tomiyasu, Cedric Soares and Calum Chambers. Sead Kolasinac is also out with injury, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was allowed to leave early to join up with Gabon ahead of the AFCON.

Predicted XI:

Ramsdale
Maitland-Niles White Gabriel Tierney
Martinelli Partey Xhaka Saka
Odegaard
Lacazette

Apart from our right-back option, this is the team that has been in top form and full of confidence in beating a number of teams.

We will no doubt have to be at our best to overcome City, but we have saved much of our best form for the Emirates, and they certainly shouldn’t underestimate us either.

I’d love to believe we are going to win today, but the fact remains that we are coming up against the best team in England at present, possibly even the best team in Europe, but we are definitely amongst the most in-form teams also.

Patrick

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126 Comments

  2. Arsenal will remain unchanged 4rm the team that beat Norwich, & let me remind u what I said earlier. “ARSENAL WILL NOT LOSE THIS GAME”.

  9. More than the result, I’d like to see a proper performance from Arsenal, a performance of grit, energy and spirit. I want to see us create chances against City while not crumbling to their attack with a whimper.
    If I see a good performance that portends hope for the future I’d like glad even if we don’t get the result

  10. Their defence is their weakest point for me … ake is hopeless Concelo might be fatigued la Porte for me is a weak point and rodri is not top class … the rest of their team is pure class and will press high with attacking options everywhere … xhaka is a predictable starter and a weak point makes the middle unduly static so others will have to give 110 per cent

  11. The reason I do not take Patricks articles seriously is that he is almost always factually incorrect in his statements.

    He calls such as Soares, Chambers, Kolasinac “first team players” when it is plain they are no such thing. Nor any longer is the separated Aubaeyang.

    He had Tomiyasu as a first choice player, who is one, but said he would not play. Wrong on all counts!

    HARD TO TAKE ANYONE SERIOUSLY WHO CONSTANTLY MAKES MISTAKES, even allowing for Tomi, who to be fair, was not expected to play but now is to play.

    Any writer worth his salt needs to do his own research into what are facts and what are not and do it PROPERLY!

  13. I prefer Arsenal to remain unchanged as much as possible this season…these 11 are the core of the team…they must gell to form a ‘well oiled machine’ . . )

  14. …….from BBC sport …. Takehiro Tomiyasu returns at right-back, meaning Rob Holding drops to the bench……..this tell me that White was gonna play at RB…….

  16. I had in my own match prediction yesterday for this match predicted the match result will be Arsenal 1 Man City nil. And I am still sticking to my gun.

  23. Best 45mins so far this season. You can see the players are well drilled and each player knows his job. Martinelli should have scored to seal the game.

    I pray this performance continues to make Dan Kit change his mind on MA.

  24. Man City’s passes were mostly immaculate, but our players were highly organized and almost didn’t make mistakes

    Saka is quite strong to hold off Ake and he was the key recipient of Ramsdale’s successful long distribution. I can see why Arsenal were linked with another strong RW like Kulusevski

  26. How’s that not a penalty. VAR is a complete cheat .
    Ederson got nowhere the ball and there was a contact on Odi.
    Shame !!

  27. Yes yes yes…the future is bright,

    we are slowly building a new invincible team…young, fearless and talented lads ….

    if we do see out a win today, who says we can’t win the league with a stunning 2nd half of this season…I believe with fewer fixtures and the form of our second team so far…

    we do stand a chance….let’s go gunners

  28. I’m really happy for all the here. After a long while we are finally swing some good football from our beloved Arsenal. Win this match and people will start to respect us.
    Happy new year to EVERYONE here, admins and readers like me. The happiest moment of my arsenal days and it’s just Day 1 of 2022

    1. Thanks very much to Xhaka and Gabriel for brain explosions undoing all the good work of the team! What idiots.

        1. SueP, everyone knows he is a diving scumbag, yet Xhaka falls for the 3 card trick and the player gets away with it!

      1. I understand it totally; Mike Reilly and his minions can take their pick: they are either corrupt or incompetent!

  32. Didn’t look a the Arsenal one. I said cheating…it is cheating. Money talks…eh. Cheating.

  33. Of course xhaka will cost less … how many more times before the shirt is removed from this plodding liability

  36. Stupid by Xhaka but not clear and obvious but hey, it’s Xhaka. When did they start giving yellows upon VAR reviews?

    1. It’s clear cheating. Arsenal denied of obvious be clear penalty. Paid for cheating….total cheating. So obvious..

  45. Gabriel’s 1st yellow was absolutely ridiculous to get…
    Why one want to get booked because he tampered the Penalty circle

      1. @ Sean, you are right. This is tiring. They just keep making key decisions that influence the outcomes of matches. Sadio Mane would elbow Right backs and the ref would ignore. Like they already have favourites

  46. So disappointing. All that hardwork undone by village level referees and then Arsenal breakdown. It was such a good game.

  47. Just wanted to come back and reiterate how useless Xhaka is. He single handedly manages to lose us matched repeatedly and his occasional good match doesn’t make up for it even slightly.

  49. Xhaka was not kidding about these refs. Only because it’s Xhaka do they do this close check and say to give a pen on a player already falling to the ground. Gabriel is just immature tho. End of the day it’s the same really? Red cares and Xhaka fouls ruining a game. After all that hard work. But this ref is awful and I don’t even recognize him. VAR team as usual hates us and it’s a crime they can be so biased against certain teams And get away with it

  50. Arsenal should go to CAS as this referee is clearly rigging the game in favour of man city. He is not even hiding his cheating.

  51. Could tell by the 1st half what was going to happen but you will never change this league ever. Dont blame xhaka blame the ref, I’ve never been so mad watching a game and so proud of the boys as the watching public know what’s going on

    2. No, absolutely not. The ref making poor decisions doesn’t excuse the repeated stupid decisions by players.

      Xhaka attempted to foul instead of tackle properly like he always does because he’s a serial cheater who hides behind “passion.” He refuses to change after 5 years of this nonsense where he single-handledly loses us points.

    1. Sean, the officiating in this game has been so poor that a club of the status of Arsenal should raise the matter officially with the FA. It is beyond a joke!

  56. Just a stat we are being robbed.
    Sky Sports
    Citys only shot on goal so far was there penalty and thats on 75th min.

    1. And on 89th. Well done Arsenal for playing with pride while being cheated out of a gane whatever the outcome in the last 5mins or so 👏

  61. Perfectly written narrative for a certain team. Interesting. Why can’t anyone on tv simply say there is some level of either corruption or deep incompetencey within English football. One of these pundits need to say it.

    2. @ RSH, They won’t say it. They don’t have the balls to say it.
      Granit Xhaka should be sold in the summer. He has cost us a lot of points. His concentration levels are a concern. We should have sold him to roma.

  62. absolutely devastating.

    What poor officiating and nothing will ever be done.

    Oil money being corrupt.

  64. Ref has earned a big fee from Sheik Mansoor. The corrupt game of the season. Puts all GOOD men and women off of football. Disgrace to football.

  66. B**ger
    We hung on so well and deserved something from this game
    VAR will be the talking point and Gabriel was foolhardy by putting so much pressure on the rest of the team.
    They worked so hard and the crowd have also been amazing
    A real shame that there are issues surrounding this result. Not a fair reflection at all on what the players did today. They were magnificent in their togetherness and work rate

    1. Agree we’ll done to the team. FA is once again a joke and refereeing in this league is full or corruption. It’s so blatant.

      1. RSH, it would be worth risking a fine from the FA for Arsenal to raise the issues with officiating in this match, both officially with the FA and in the media. Why won’t Mike Reilly agree to implementation of VAR in the EPL, as it has been in the rest of Europe and the World? No wonder English referees aren’t wanted to officiate at major tournaments. Take your choice: incompetent or corrupt?

  67. Angry!!!

    Summary…..

    Missed easy chances.
    Refs an idiot and should have given us a pen.
    Xhaka shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near our penalty box he can’t tackle.
    Gabriel stupid and naive to get booked for a spot scuff.

  69. Corruption at its finest. Football honesty at its poorest. How does football get away with this?

  70. Referring was diabolical but Gabriel’s momentary
    Acts of Lunacy is why Arsenal lost this game. You
    simply cannot give Oil Citeh anymore advantages,
    especially when you ALREADY playing a man down.

    Disappointing result but AFC were the better club
    until Xhaka’s predictably moment of madness and
    Gabriel’s subsequent meltdown.

    If this match doesn’t scream for Bruno G to partner
    TP when he returns from AFCON than MA isn’t
    the man for the job. His insistence on Xhaka
    cannot continue.

  71. Am super proud of the team…..quite sad we didn’t get anything from the game…onto the next one…

  72. Xhaka once again the catalyst of our downfall. How some of you rate him i do not know. The sooner we rid ourselfs of this player the better

    1. We should sell Xhaka this January. Lokonga and AMN should cover for Partey during the AFCON.

      I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH MADNESS FROM XHAKA TO LAST ME A LIFETIME

      1. Skills1000, surely Mikel Arteta can see it at last too? Xhaka makes these poor decisions too often to survive at Arsenal, otherwise he will bring down Arteta.

  73. Ferdinand and that other clown are so anti arsenal why cant we ever get a pundit with the balls to say anything truthful
    disgraceful by the CHEATING OFFICIALS

  74. Until we move on from the xhaka era we will not get back in to top 4 imo .. missed the chance to sell him last summer … the Belgium kid needs to be given a chance … but we will miss partey for sure … the cup games are a luxury for me though we should beat forest regardless

  75. Ignoring all the obvious annoying factors that was the performance we all wanted and without a lucky bounce we’d of taken a point. 3 points dropped on balance but we all wanted that type of performance and we got it imo.

      1. Apologies Angus, I missed the second goal. What a disgrace. Guardiola should be embarrassed or find it difficult to keep a straight face at the post match press conference!

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