To return to their most recent meeting at Wembley, Granit Xhaka played a crucial role in sprinting a long way out of his base position to close down Kevin de Bruyne as he dropped to get on the ball, and we can expect to see that happen again on Saturday. Whether it’s Xhaka or Mohamed Elneny (presumably Thomas Partey won’t be thrown in at the deep end), this represents the game’s most important battle – and a symbol of Arsenal’s approach as a whole.
They should be successful, meaning a tactical pattern that is a bit clumsy and meandering, in keeping with the eerie discomfort of the 2020/21 Premier League season as a whole. City will dominate possession but struggle to do anything with it, while Arsenal will wait for key moments to pounce – either forcing an error in the City third or exploding into life behind the City back line.
Given Walker’s on-going issues, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can expect some joy on the break, and is , while Nicolas Pepe could be given licence to run directly at Mendy.
But if the game avoids descending into chaos, then Arsenal – the more organised and confident of the two sides – should be able to repeat their Wembley performance to compound tactical problems that Guardiola currently seems incapable of solving. He is at an important crossroads – and faces his mentee at the worst possible moment.
Odds correct at 1200 BST (13/10/20)
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