For a mid-February Premier League match, it’s hard to imagine higher stakes than what Arsenal and Manchester City face as they clash at the Emirates Stadium in a midweek meeting.
The Gunners sit three points atop the Premier League table with a game in hand, but Man City can overtake the league leaders with victory in this match, thanks to their superior goal differential. Arsenal would still remain in the driver’s seat, but the lead has shrunk from eight points to three, and any less of a gap would really turn up the heat.
Arsenal, meanwhile, could reverse their fortunes by securing what would be a landmark and memorable victory. The Gunners have lost six straight to Man City in all competitions and 13 of their last 14, while Mikel Arteta has not experienced early success against his former mentor Pep Guardiola, with just one win in six all-time meetings.
Below are the projected lineups for both teams based on the latest news leading up to the match.
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Arsenal vs Man City lineups, team news
Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola could both be missing their talisman strikers in this match, but each club possesses the necessary depth to push through the absences.
Arsenal have been forced to live without Gabriel Jesus for months, and Eddie Nketiah has stepped up in a big way, scoring key goals for the club.
Man City, meanwhile, are sweating the fitness of breakout star Erling Haaland, who is on pace to shatter the Premier League single-season goalscoring record. Thankfully for Guardiola, Julian Alvarez is ready to step in if needed, as the Argentinian youngster was exceptional at the World Cup and has filled in admirably when necessary.
Below are the projected starting lineups for both teams ahead of their match at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, February 15.
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Arsenal projected starting 11
Arsenal lineup (4-3-3): Aaron Ramsdale (GK) — Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel, Oleksandr Zinchenko — Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka — Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli.
- Out: Gabriel Jesus, Mohamed Elneny, Emile Smith Rowe.
- Doubt: Reiss Nelson.
- Suspended: None.
Long-term absentees Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny remain out for this match, and Emile Smith Rowe is still working back from a thigh injury, but otherwise Arsenal have a fully fit squad. Reiss Nelson has returned to training in his recovery from a thigh problem, but this match may come just a tad early for the young winger.
Selection wise, there are very few true decisions for Mikel Arteta to make, as he’s established a pretty clear starting lineup. There could be one choice at left-back, but Oleksandr Zinchenko appears to be playing well enough to hold off a recent push from new signing Leandro Trossard.
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Man City projected starting 11
Man City lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson (GK) — Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake — Rodri, Bernardo Silva — Riyad Mahrez, Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish — Erling Haaland.
- Out: John Stones.
- Doubt: Erling Haaland.
- Suspended: None.
While Arsenal may have a mostly consistent starting lineup, Manchester City have many more questions to answer. The first decision for Pep Guardiola is whether he wishes to play three or four defenders.
If he goes for four at the back, the question then becomes who starts at left-back, and which midfielder is sacrificed for the extra defender. Likely, one of Ilkay Gundogan or Bernardo Silva would be sent to the bench, unless Silva moves out wide to send Jack Grealish packing. The favorite to start at left-back would be Nathan Ake, although he could pivot to young Rico Lewis. Ake would also be a likely selection as a third centre-back should Guardiola go that route.
The biggest availability focus for Man City will be on star striker Erling Haaland who was withdrawn over the weekend at halftime of the win over Aston Villa. Haaland’s injury doesn’t seem concerning, and he should be available, as Pep Guardiola stated after the match that his forward could have stayed on the pitch had it been a tighter match. If Haaland can’t go, it would be Julian Alvarez to step in up front. The only other concern for Guardiola is centre-back John Stones who has been sidelined for a few weeks with a foot injury.
Arsenal vs Man City live stream, TV channel
Given the game is one of the biggest and most important matches of the season, this crucial tie has been given the king broadcast treatment, on each broadcaster’s main platform.
Full details are below for Man City’s trip to Arsenal with fans advised to check with their local broadcasters for full details on coverage.
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Wed, Feb. 15 | 14:30 ET | — | Peacock |
| UK | Wed, Feb. 15 | 19:30 GMT | — | Amazon Prime |
| Australia | Thu, Feb. 16 | 06:30 AEST | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | Wed, Feb. 15 | 14:30 ET | — | fuboTV Canada |
| India | Thu, Feb. 16 | 00:00 IST | Star Sports Select 1 | JioTV, Hotstar VIP |
| New Zealand | Thu, Feb. 16 | 08:30 NZST | Sky Sport | Sky Go |
| Malaysia | Thu, Feb. 16 | 03:30 MT | Astro SuperSport 3 | sooka, Astro Go |
| Singapore | Thu, Feb. 16 | 03:30 SST | Hub Premier 1 & 2 (Ch. 221-222) | StarHub TV+ |
| Hong Kong | Thu, Feb. 16 | 03:30 HKST | Now Premier League TV (Ch. 620-621) | Now E, Now Player |
UK: This Wednesday evening match in the UK will be carried by Amazon Prime’s streaming service.
USA: The match will only be available on streaming service Peacock.
Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.
Credit: sportingnews.com