Man City line-up vs Arsenal predicted as John Stones starts and Rodri decision made

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Manchester City visit Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday in what is a huge fixture for both clubs as they seek to keep pace with Liverpool at the top of the table

Pep Guardiola kept the same team for the midweek Champions League win over Napoli and it might be a similar line-up for the Premier League showdown at Arsenal on Sunday.

City make the journey to the Emirates buoyed by back-to-back wins but face their toughest test of the season so far against Mikel Arteta’s men.

The Gunners romped to a 5-1 win in this fixture last season as City suffered a dramatic fall off in form.

A win for the Blues would leave them level on points with the Gunners and reignite talk of a potential title challenge. And Guardiola might shuffle his pack amid a hectic fixture huddle with City in the midst of seven games in 22 days.

One player who won’t be rotated is Gianluigi Donnarumma with the Italian yet to concede at the club. There are some big decisions to be made at the back and a recall for John Stones would offer a physical edge and a valuable option at set pieces. He can partner Ruben Dias with Josko Gvardiol shifting to left back.

Abdukodir Khusanov has done little wrong at right back and with question marks over both Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes in that role, the Uzbekistan international can continue.

The big question in midfield is whether Rodri can get through three games in a week but having had an early finish against Napoli, a start seems likely even if there are legitimate concerns over his workload.

It’s difficult to see any other changes to the XI such is the midfield strength offered by Bernardo Silva and ever-present Tijjani Reijnders while the front three of Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland are in fine form.

Savinho and Oscar Bobb could again be asked to offer attacking variety from the bench.

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