Manchester City will face Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium on Friday night. Those two teams are already fighting it out for the Premier League title, with the Gunners ahead by five points at this stage with one match in hand.
Hence, Friday’s clash will be a chance for either side to gain a psychological advantage, as that might prove to be crucial for the two league matches between those two.
We will now take a look at three things to watch out for in the match:
#1. Both teams going into the match without a few regular players:
Despite the FA Cup being a century-old tournament, Mikel Arteta will most likely have his eyes fixed on the league title and hence, might rest a few regular players. The same is true for Pep Guardiola and his team might also start without a few regulars.
While goalkeeper Matt Foster, right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu and centre-back Rob Holding might start for Arsenal; Stephan Ortega, Sergio Gomez and Aymeric Laporte might get a chance for the Cityzens.
However, both teams will still have enough firepower in their respective line-ups to make the match an absorbing one. It will be a great chance for particularly the two goalkeepers, who have not played much in the season so far, to make their mark and push the regular goalies for a place in the starting lineup more frequently.
#2. The clash of two sides with possession-oriented styles:
Both Arsenal and Manchester City play possession-oriented football, with Guardiola having professed that particular style in City and Arteta, who was the assistant coach at City previously, inculcating the same style at Arsenal since he took over.
Hence, we can safely assume that both sides will look to dominate possession and the absence of the talismanic Kevin de Bruyne might tilt the scale in the Gunners’ favour.
Martin Odegaard is expected to start and might prove to be handful for the home side with his darting runs with the ball and ability to find his teammates with quick, precise passes to the opposition penalty box.
Moreover, left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko’s tendency to switch into the midfield will mean that the visitors might enjoy numerical supremacy at the centre of the pitch. Joao Cancelo can do the same thing for Manchester City, but he is unlikely to start on Friday.
Therefore, one can assume that City will play with a 4-2-3-1 formation for the most part, with Ilkay Gundogan partnering Rodri in the double pivot.
It will make Bernardo Silva’s role very important for the home side and the Portuguese midfielder will have to do what Odegaard does regularly for the Gunners.
#3. Two teams loaded with fascinating wingers:
Both the teams have some fantastic wingers in their line-ups and hence, one can expect to witness some solid wing-play from either side.
While the brilliant Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will look to carry on their usually wonderful work for the visitors, Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish will try to match that.
Both Saka and Mahrez have had great seasons for their respective clubs. Both like to cut in from the right flank and shoot at goal with the left foot. Saka scored a brilliant goal against Manchester United in this fashion last Sunday. Mahrez was also influential in City’s thrashing of Wolves in their last match.
In a nutshell, it promises to be a wonderful match and both coaches will be aware of the psychological bearing its result might have on the players of either side.