City defence

Man City could have a completely new defence in place against Arsenal this weekend. John Stones and Kyle Walker both went off injured in matches for England, while Manuel Akanji did likewise for Switzerland during the international break.

All three could be missing for the crunch Premier League title showdown and that would mean Pep Guardiola shuffling his defensive pack. Ederson meanwhile could also be out of action, giving Arsenal the upper hand.

Here's how our Man City reporters at the Manchester Evening News think Guardiola will lineup.

Ethan Nwaneri signs new deal

Ethan Nwaneri has signed his first professional contract with Arsenal.

The Hale Ender made history by becoming the youngest player in Premier League history last season after making his first team debut aged just 15 years and 181 days old in a 3-0 victory over Brentford.

With Nwaneri not able to sign scholarship forms at that age, a battle than began for his signature, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea among those interested. Eventually though, the Islington-born teenager decided to commit his future to Arsenal.

Rules state that players cannot be offered professional contracts until they are 17-years-of-age. Nwaneri celebrated his 17th birthday last week and his now signed pro terms with the club he has been at since he was eight.

If Saka is not fit

What happens if Bukayo Saka is not fit to face Man City at the weekend? How does Mikel Arteta line up?

He already has his answer, in what happened the last time Saka was not available for a big match.

Interest in Mika Biereth

Arsenal will not be short of suitors this summer if they intend on selling young striker Mika Biereth.

The 21-year-old, who is currently on loan at Sturm Graz, has been catching the eye this season and according to Fabrizio Romano, there will be plenty of clubs interested if the Gunners consider letting the Denmark international leave.

"There will be a race for Mika Biereth this summer for sure, many clubs are interested in the young Arsenal striker," Romano said in his Daily Briefing.

"But, Arsenal have been clear on their position: no decision will be made now, internal talks about him will follow later this year.

"So on this one, interest is there and will likely grow in the next weeks but it’s not something serious yet."

Saka alternative?

Bukayo Saka is likely to return to action against Manchester City following an injury scare.

But what if he's not available? Well, the Gunners have already beaten Pep Guardiola's team this season without the England star in the team.

Saka was absent when the teams met in October, and Mikel Arteta may already have the perfect back-up option to change his attack should the 21-year-old be absent again.

Stones and De Bruyne out?

Both Arsenal and Manchester City have injury concerns heading into this weekend's huge clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Man City perhaps have more pressing concerns than the Gunners, with question marks over Ederson, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne.

Our writer Jake Stokes has predicted to two lineups ahead of the clash. See what he thinks here.

Rodrygo to Arsenal?

Arsenal will be looknig for a forward this summer and rodrygo has been a name moderately mentioned.

His place in the Real madrid team could be in doubt next season if Kylian Mbappe does, as expected, make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

But would a deal for Rodrygo make sense for the Gunners?

Transfer windfall

Arsenal can secure money this summer by letting fringe players leave. One of those in question is Nuno Taverse, with the Express reporting that he could be of interest to Lazio this summer, given Igor Tudor's new role as manager.

Tudor and Tavares were together at Marseille last season and could link up again.

Season ratings

Given it's the international break we asked our reporter Kaya Kaynak to rate the players for the season so far.

It's been a great season for the Gunners up to this point and five players get nine out of ten. There is one with a four out of ten though.

Ten-man shortlist

Edu has drawn up a shortlist of ten strikers to sign in the summer transfer window, according to our friends at the Mirror.

It is prevalent to come up with a list, rather than putting all your eggs in one basket with someone llike Viktor Gyokeres and it will be interesting to see who the Gunners go after once the transfer window opens.

Good morning

It's Thursday and that means Premier League football is almost upon us once more. We can say goodbye to the final international break of the season and look forward to the Premier League run-in.

And what a run-in it is shaping up to be. Starting this weekend, with the title race being played out in front of our eyes on Sky Sports on Sunday as Liverpool host Brighton and then Manchester City take on Arsenal.