Arsenal vs Man City: Key Battles

Manchester City will be missing several key players - Sergio Aguero suffered a hamstring injury last week, Samir Nasri will be suspended due to his red card against Norwich, Aleksandar Kolarov is still a doubt after a leg injury while Yaya and Kolo Toure are both off to play in the African Cup of Nations.

Arsenal are missing Gervinho, who is also off to the African Cup of Nations but otherwise Arsene Wenger should be able to call on the services of his squad players.

Predicted Starting XIs

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere, Podolski, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott

Form guide: DWWWW

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic, Clichy, Barry, Garcia, Silva, Milner, Tevez, Dzeko

Form guide: WWWLW

City attack vs Arsenal defence

It's hard to pinpoint a single area where City will focus their attack on as their forward players interchange positions frequently - their strikers tend to drift wide to receive the ball while their wingers (David Silva especially), play narrowly and set up play from the middle for their strikers to cut in from the flanks.

With reference to the above, Koscielny and Vermaelen will be favoured to start because their mobility will be crucial in dealing with City's attack.

Sagna and Gibbs have been consistently starting for the Gunners as well but they will have to be wary of the space they leave behind them when going up to support the attack - the flank may seem empty but City's strikers will often drag wide to exploit the space.

The midfield battle without Yaya Toure

City are hamstrung without Yaya Toure in midfield - the Ivorian took up Nigel De Jong's role to hold the midfield this season and there is nobody at the club (or in the world) that has what it takes to replace him in the middle. This could be a huge factor considering Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere's presence in the Arsenal midfield.

Javi Garcia has yet to show the form that warranted his move from Benfica over the summer but will probably get to see action partnering Gareth Barry in midfield since Jack Rodwell's fitness is still a doubt.

Arsenal will probably be enjoying more dominance in midfield because they have more players (Arteta, Cazorla and Wilshere) able to hold onto the ball. This will force City's aforementioned midfield duo deeper while they rely on Silva or Tevez to transit the play onto the striker. The Arsenal midfield's biggest task will be to keep them from receiving the ball early - if they manage to do that, they will have stopped City's biggest threat.

Zabaleta vs Gibbs

Both sides are similar in the sense that their forward players tend to play narrower and they rely on their full backs to provide width, and it's interesting that two of their best players will go up against each other on Sunday.

Kieran Gibbs has been in fine form for Arsenal but he will have to be wary going up against Pablo Zabaleta, who has also been excellent in City's recent matches. Zabaleta has the upper hand simply because Milner is expected to start in front of him and the England international tracks back diligently while Podolski is inconsistent in doing so.

Arsenal attack vs City defence

Walcott has almost synonymous with Arsenal in the news recently with his contract saga and his desire to play up front. He has scored a hat-trick and a brace recently as Arsenal's striker and it's likely that Wenger will keep his faith in the England international against City.

It remains to be seen, however, whether Walcott can handle playing up front against a well-drilled defence as his goals came against a lax Reading defence and Newcastle's shambolic back four.

Also, Walcott is still one-dimensional up front. Yes, he provides speed and thrust but he doesn't do well when receiving the ball with his back to goal, an attribute of the game which will be crucial going up against two physical and mobile defenders in Kompany and Nastasic.