Arsenal will be looking to narrow the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool when they face reigning champions Manchester City at the Emirates on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s side beat the Gunners to the title in the past two seasons, but are off the pace this season.
Man City, however, could dent Arsenal’s latest title challenge with an away win in the weekend’s headline match.
Having returned to the top four after beating Chelsea 3-1 last time out, Man City will look to cut a six-point gap to the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta’s side have had the upper hand in recent matches between the sides, having gone unbeaten in their last four meetings with Man City, but will be without Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Gabriel Jesus.
Mail Sport reveals which available players are included in our Arsenal-Manchester City combined XI, with some difficult decisions having been made.
Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola will renew acquaintances when Arsenal face Man City
Goalkeeper: David Raya
Starting in goal David Raya gets the nod ahead of Ederson thanks to his impressive performances, but also due to Man City goalkeeper’s lack of form.
Arsenal’s defence has lacked last season’s solidity at times, conceding two or more goals on eight occasions, but only Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels has more clean sheets than Raya since the start of the campaign.
The Spaniard boasts the fourth-highest save percentage in the league and has made two remarkable double saves, against Aston Villa and Atalanta, showcasing his world-class ability.
Meanwhile Ederson has received a fair amount of criticism this season, keeping just three clean sheets in 15 starts, with Pep Guardiola even benching him in favour of Stefan Ortega on four different occasions in the league.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has been one of the Gunners’ standout performers this season
Jurrien Timber has deputised for the injured Ben White at right-back under Mikel Arteta
William Saliba (right) has become one of the best centre backs in the world while at Arsenal
Right back: Jurrien Timber
With Manchester City’s defensive injury woes and Kyle Walker’s dramatic exit from the club, Matheus Nunes has been filling in at right-back for Guardiola’s side with mixed results.
Nunes is technically talented and offers more on the ball than Walker did in recent months, but his defensive vulnerability makes Timber an easy selection in this combined XI.
The Dutch defender has been a commendable deputy for the absent Ben White, starting all but four of Arsenal’s league games, with the Gunners dropping points in two of those four matches.
Centre back: William Saliba
Unsurprisingly, it’s Arsenal who dominate the back four of this starting XI, with Saliba a guaranteed selection, given that on his day, he is one of the best defenders in the league.
Gabriel has formed a solid partnership with Saliba in the centre of Arteta’s backline
Arsenal have drawn on both occasions that the 23-year-old has missed out in the league, admittedly to Liverpool and Aston Villa, but two goals conceded in both of those games highlights the Frenchman’s impact.
Ruben Dias and John Stones have been vital to Manchester City’s league success in past years, but their consistent injury problems and lack of clean sheets mean they don’t get near a current Arsenal and Manchester City combined XI.
Centre back: Gabriel Magalhaes
Alongside Saliba, Gabriel forms one of, if not the best centre-back pairing in the league. Gabriel’s physicality and aggressiveness compliment Saliba’s speed, awareness and calmness on the ball.
The Brazilian earned himself a spot in the PFA Team of the Year last season and has continued these performances into 2024/25 whilst also adding a level of attacking ability that few defenders can match.
Arsenal’s set-piece threat has been highly commended this year, and this is largely due to Gabriel’s aerial presence, with Josko Gvardiol the only defender to better his goal tally of three.
Left back: Josko Gvardiol
As stated above Gvardiol’s tally of five goals is a phenomenal return for a defender, but his performances at the back have been inconsistent.
Too often he is out of position or careless in marking, and whilst City have failed to keep most of their defenders fully fit, Gvardiol has played the majority of games for a City side that have kept just five clean sheets in the league.
Josko Gvardiol is the only Guardiola star in the back five in our combined Arsenal-City XI
Arsenal’s left-back slot has been their only inconsistency in a solid backline, with Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Myles Lewis-Skelly rotating throughout the season.
Calafiori has impressed on the ball but has started just eight league games, which means Gvardiol takes the left-back spot.
Defensive Midfield: Mateo Kovacic
Rodri was the cornerstone of Manchester City’s three successive Premier League titles, so Kovacic was always going to struggle to replace the Ballon d’Or winner, but his place in this combined XI is secured thanks to his defensive abilities.
The Croatian international is tidy on the ball, controls the game well for Guardiola’s side, and is a strong tackler, even if City have looked vulnerable since Rodri’s long-term injury.
Kovacic gets in ahead of Bernardo Silva, as the attacking ability of both sides requires a midfield enforcer, whilst Jorginho and Mikel Merino have failed to impress for Arsenal.
Defensive midfield: Declan Rice
Rice’s ability to impact matches from all over the pitch earns him a place in this XI. He constantly breaks up opposition attacks through tireless running and strong challenges, and his ability to read the game is improving year by year.
For a side often hit on the counter, his role in retaining possession and then helping Arteta’s side transition to attack is vital.
Mateo Kovacic has been a focal point of City’s midfield following the long-term injury to Rodri
Declan Rice is the mainstay of Arsenal’s central midfield and is one of Arteta’s key men
Whilst his goal contributions have somewhat dried up this season, his dead-ball delivery is an important asset to an Arsenal side that rely heavily on set pieces.
The re-signing of Ilkay Gundogan was viewed as an astute piece of transfer business by many, but the German midfielder has looked leggy and a shadow of his former self at times, leaving Rice an easy choice for a combined XI.
Right wing: Phil Foden
With Bukayo Saka a long-term absentee for Arsenal, it’s last season’s Player of the Year who is nailed on for the right-wing spot. Foden’s early season form left a lot to be desired but in recent weeks he has shown flashes of his usual brilliance.
In his last six starts, Foden has eight goal contributions, and if City are to secure a top-four spot for the 15th successive season, he will have to play a significant part.
Had Saka been fully fit he would have undoubtedly taken his compatriot’s spot in this combined XI, due to his scintillating early season form, but Arsenal are still missing their talismanic youngster.
Attacking midfielder: Martin Odegaard
In a similar story to Foden, Odegaard has failed to continue last season’s brilliance, and his place in this side is perhaps testament to both Manchester City’s recent struggles and Arsenal’s lack of open-play threat.
Phil Foden has eight goal contributions in his last six starts for City despite their struggles
Martin Odegaard has failed to live up to last season’s standards but is still crucial for Arsenal
Injuries have hampered his campaign, but four goal contributions in 14 league starts is a severe downturn to last year’s 18 goals and assists.
Odegaard has not been helped by Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz, who have all performed poorly, but the Norwegian’s creativity is still on a world-class level on his day.
Left wing: Kevin De Bruyne
Alongside Rodri, De Bruyne has been one of the key figures in City’s dominance of English football, and whilst his genius may be wavering, his injury issues are clearly hampering his ability to rescue City’s faltering season.
However, the Belgian still has eight goal contributions, the same number as Martinelli and Trossard, in fewer starts than the Arsenal pair.
When on form De Bruyne still has the capability to create opportunities like few others and therefore secures his spot in this XI.
Striker: Erling Haaland
It’s easy to forget that Haaland has 18 goals in the league this season, with only Mo Salah bettering that tally.
He started the campaign as he left off, hammering back-to-back hat tricks before a drought of four goals in ten games left many contemplating whether he contributed enough to City’s style of play.
Since then normality seems to have resumed, with five goals in as many games, with the Norwegian undoubtedly helped by the signing of Omar Marmoush and Foden’s return to form.
His place in this starting XI is under no threat from Kai Havertz, whose performances up top for Arsenal seem to have single-handedly led to constant rumours that Arsenal are pushing to sign Newcastle’s red-hot striker Alexander Isak.