How to manage the Man City v Arsenal game
Man City and Arsenal are in a race to be this seasons Premier League champions. Their Gameweek 33 match against each other looks set to be one of the key deciders in the title race. A lot of FPL managers are heavily invested in both Man City and Arsenal. So how should FPL managers manage the Man City v Arsenal game?
Many FPL managers trebled up on Arsenal for their fixture against Southampton in Blank Gameweek 32. Whilst others decided to bench their Man City assets in order to still have them available for their double gameweek in Gameweek 34. This means that some FPL managers could find themselves with three Man City and three Arsenal players. These are players that FPL managers would usually start, but should they in the midweek gameweek? Deciding how to manage the Man City v Arsenal game could be key to a successful Gameweek 33 for FPL managers.
Arsenal
The defenders
Both William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko remain injured with Arteta stating that Zinchenko needs:
Some more time to heal, we are not there yet
Arteta on Zinchenko
Whilst on Saliba he said:
The picture hasn’t changed from last week. We have to wait a little bit more. He’s not progressing as quick as we hoped. Probably next week we will have more certainty.
Arteta on Saliba
With flags on both players if managers own them they can be sold.
The rest of the defence may prove more tricky. Gabriel and Ben White both have shown good attacking threat this season, however in the last six matches ahead of Gameweek 32 Man City had the best expected goals tally across the division. They have not failed to score at home all season, in fact there have only been two matches this season where City have failed to score. Against Liverpool in Gameweek 11 and Spurs in Gameweek 22. Managers with the likes of White, Gabriel or the rest of the Arsenal defenders could look to bench them this week. If managers wanted to sell to bring in a Double Gameweek 34 defender this week that could also be a good strategy.
The attackers
Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli are in outstanding form. Even with three banks in a row for Bukayo Saka in Gameweeks 29-31 he still remains an excellent option. Especially as Arteta has confirmed that Saka remains Arsenal’s first choice penalty taker.
Man City have conceded in each of their last three Premier League matches. City have kept five clean sheets at home this season. These clean sheets have come against, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Wolves, and Newcastle. With the exception of Newcastle these are all teams who have had their struggles this season. Therefore the City defence looks like one that the Arsenal attackers could break down.
Therefore FPL managers should start their Arsenal attacking assets this week.
Man City
The defenders
As mentioned the Man City defence has not been keeping as many clean sheets as FPL managers would like. This means that they could be susceptible to the Arsenal attack which has been on excellent form in recent matches. In the last six gameweeks (ahead of Gameweek 32) Arsenal have scored 18 goals, more than any other team in the league.
For managers who own the likes of John Stones and Nathan Ake this could be a good week to move them to the bench. However, for managers who have Emerson as a set and forget goalkeeper don’t panic. Arsenal have had 94 goal attempts in the six gameweeks leading up to Gameweek 32 and therefore there is plenty of potential for saves and save points.
The attackers
Man City have scored 78 goals this season, more than any other team. Their attack is potent and really should always be in FPL managers starting XI’s. Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish should be played against Arsenal if managers own them.
If managers own Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan, and the rest of the Man City attack then listening to Pep’s press conferences will be key. In such a must win fixture I expect Man City to be full strength – but knowing what that team is is hard to predict.
If in doubt play the City attackers. It seems even with this tough fixture Haaland will remain a captaincy contender.
Overall
This match will be difficult to call for FPL managers, and knowing what to expect is tough. Both sides will see this as a must win and therefore if could be high scoring. Playing your attacking assets from both sides and potentially benching the defenders if others have more chance of a clean sheet seems like a wise strategy. However, there is always the chance those benched defenders pop up with an attacking return.
