Manchester City vs Arsenal: Pellegrini's Last Chance to Fine-Tune

Manchester City play their final preseason match on Saturday against Arsenal in Helsinki. It’s the final warm-up game for both sides before they embark on their Premier League campaigns.

After two wins in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Hong Kong, City travelled to Munich for two tough games against AC Milan and Bayern. The Blues will be hoping for one last positive result before they start their season at home against Newcastle on August 19.

It’s fair to say it’s been an excellent preseason for Manuel Pellegrini as he assesses his new squad. All of his new signings have been involved and had a positive impact, clearly demonstrating the depth City now have at their disposal. Whereas there were times last season that City struggled to alter their game plan, they now have a plethora of options available to them.

The question on City fans’ lips ahead of this game is: Will Aguero make his first appearance since the postseason tour of America?

The Argentine striker is back in full training but needs some match fitness before the new season starts. His last match was the 5-3 win against Chelsea on May 25 in New York and the whole club are keen to see their star striker back in a Manchester City shirt.

Pellegrini will also be keen to see Yaya Toure and Fernandinho continue to develop their understanding in midfield. That partnership looks set to be crucial to the way City play, providing security so the attacking players can play with freedom.

Joleon Lescott looks set to partner Vincent Kompany at the heart of defence, as City prepare for a period without Matija Nastasic, who is injured for up to six weeks. With Dedryck Boyata the only other central-defender available to City, they may try and sign one before the window closes.

For Arsenal, there are already frustrations bubbling under the surface. Arsene Wenger had intimated that this would be the summer Arsenal finally spent big, but, as yet, only Yaya Sanogo, a 20-year-old French striker, has joined.

Gonzalo Higuain was a definite target but he moved to Napoli. Luis Suarez is the other high-profile forward on Wenger’s wish-list but as yet no deal has been struck for the Uruguayan.

Wenger’s refusal to spend money has long caused tension amongst the Arsenal supporters who are desperate to end their eight year trophy drought. Their last piece of silverware was the FA Cup of 2005. Patrick Vieira, City’s Elite Development Squad manager, was Arsenal’s captain that day.

Some supporters are now getting restless and want to see Wenger add quality to his squad. A good result in this match would give everyone at the Emirates a lift ahead of next week’s curtain raiser.

Arsenal opening ten fixtures sees them avoid playing Chelsea, Manchester United or Manchester City, meaning a good start could see them amass a healthy early points total. A good result against City would see them enter that run of fixtures in good spirits.

It should be a fascinating match.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here @TypicalCity