The league leaders face the title defenders for the first time this season in the fourth round of the FA Cup, we will witness the main attacking threats of the English league go head-to-head.
This match-up will be an important benchmark for Arteta and his team to evaluate their position in English football. They have recently been a force to be reckoned with, but now they come up against one of the best teams in the world.
Manchester City was knocked out of the EFL Cup by Southampton and fell to Manchester United in the Manchester derby, but have since recovered their form. They won back-to-back games convincingly against Tottenham and Wolverhampton, scoring seven goals in two matches.
The nifty Norweigan, Erling Haaland, has returned to form after a surprising goal drought. He netted three against Wolves and secured his fourth hat-trick of the season and his current goal tally (25) trumps last season's top scorers, Mohammed Salah and Heung-Min Son, who scored 23 goals apiece.
The Blues are aiming to avoid a fourth-round elimination for the first time since 2014/15. They have reached the semi-finals of the competition in the last four seasons.
The current Premier League champions have a nine-game winning streak at home in the FA Cup and have scored at least three goals in each match.
Arsenal have been the most prolific team to win the competition, taking the trophy home fourteen times after appearing in twenty-one cup finals.
However, they have progressed past the fourth round only once since 2017, previously being eliminated by Manchester United in 2017/18, winning the trophy in 2019/20, but being dismissed by Southampton in the 2020/21 competition.
Arteta knows a win against the Cityzens will be a beneficial boost for his team to progress in the league and is determined to keep the run going.
The Spaniard stated pre-match that: “Winning gives you momentum, breeds confidence and helps you to prepare for the next match. That will be our focus on Friday."
The Gunners come off the back of a last-minute win against Manchester United, after top scorer Eddie Nketiah converted at close range and helped establish a five-point lead in the league for his team.
Arteta previously orchestrated a 2-0 win over City in the semi-finals of the 2019/20 FA Cup, but has been less successful against the Blues on other occasions. Arsenal have been beaten by City twelve times in their last thirteen games in all tournaments.
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Team News
Manchester City
Phil Foden is a concern for City as he recovers from a foot injury. Guardiola claimed the player was "getting better" and should be near to returning after fitness tests.
Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez impressed in the last round against Chelsea, which should earn them a start on Friday.
Arsenal
Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus continues to be ruled out due to his knee injury, which should see him return around March, paired with Reiss Nelson who is sidelined with a thigh injury.
Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny is also ruled out due to a knock in training.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, the Gunners full-back who helped City win four Premier League titles, might appear against his former club, after returning from injury and becoming one of Arteta’s most important players.
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Predicted Lineups
Manchester City: Ortega; Gomez, Akanji, Stones, Walker; Phllips, Rodri, Silva; Grealish, Alvarez, Mahrez.
Arsenal: Turner; Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Xhaka, Partey, Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
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Key Players
Manchester City - Riyad Mahrez
The Algerian has been nominated for Player Of The Month for January, with his performances hopefully steering him towards the award.
No other player has scored and created more goals than Mahrez in January. He scored two against Chelsea in the previous FA Cup round, two against Tottenham and also helped Haaland to his hat-trick against Wolves.
The winger's recent turn of form should see him start the FA Cup encounter and be a threat to Arsenal’s defence, who have conceded the second least amount of goals this season, behind Newcastle.
Arsenal - Eddie Nketiah
A blow to striker Gabriel Jesus gave Nketiah an opportunity to shine and he has done just that since replacing the Brazillian in the starting lineup.
As he has been given a consistent run in the first team, Nketiah is reproducing the goalscoring form that made him a youth phenomenon.
He scored two goals against Manchester United on Sunday, including his last-minute winner, bringing his total to 18 in his last 26 in all competitions, with 12 goals from 13 at his home stadium.
His form will be a huge benefit for Arsenal as they face City.
