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.