Arsenal vs. Manchester City: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info
Arsenal will have the chance to halt their slide when they host Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Gunners have lost four of their last five in the competition and sit in sixth place. The likes of Liverpool and City have played more matches so far, however, so all isn't lost for Arsenal.
A win on Sunday would do manager Arsene Wenger and his squad the world of good, while another loss would further hamper the chances of a top-four finish.
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Date: Sunday, April 2
Time: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK), NBC Sports (U.S.)
Team News
According to WhoScored.com, star goalkeeper Petr Cech will not be fit in time for Sunday's match, joining a lengthy list of Arsenal absentees. Santi Cazorla, Mathieu Debuchy and Lucas Perez are certain to miss out, and Kieran Gibbs is a doubt.
Per the club's official website, Wenger confirmed Mesut Ozil should be fit to start: "He is in contention to start again. He played 20 minutes with Germany in Azerbaijan, and he came back focused and worked very hard this week."
City have been without Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan for some time, and Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna are all doubts, per WhoScored.com.
Possible Arsenal XI: David Ospina, Hector Bellerin, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Nacho Monreal, Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka, Danny Welbeck, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez
Possible City XI: Willy Caballero, Fernandinho, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi, Aleksandar Kolarov, Yaya Toure, Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero
Preview
The international break came at the right time for Arsenal, who limped into the Premier League stoppage on the back of several disappointing results and a European exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.
The players had the chance to clear their heads, rediscover their form and gear up for the final push for a top-four finish and a spot in next year's UEFA Champions League.
Not all were successful during the break. Laurent Koscielny had a nightmare outing against Spain, and the showing won't have helped his confidence.
La Roja star David Silva fared much better, delighting Bleacher Report UK's Alex Dunn, who devoted an entire article to the City man:
Silva could play a major role if De Bruyne isn't 100 percent fit on Sunday―or worse, misses out entirely―as City's main creative force in midfield.
The Citizens usually have a tremendous advantage out wide thanks to the talents of Sterling and Leroy Sane, who can open up defences with a single moment of brilliance, but the two need steady service. That's where the central playmakers come in, and in a battle against the likes of Granit Xhaka, they'll have to come out ahead to lock down Arsenal's attack.
Ozil and Alexis Sanchez can only be effective if the Gunners control the ball and find space on the counter when they don't―City do have a tendency of missing assignments in transition, which should be a concern heading into Sunday's match.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 City
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