Man City

Manchester City and Arsenal face off in the Premier League on Sunday, so it would be rude not to do a combined XI.

Injuries are taken into account, so the absences of Kyle Walker and John Stones have made our lives a lot easier.

Manchester City – Arsenal Combined XI
GK: Ederson (Manchester City)

David Raya has the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season and has done well to justify Mikel Arteta’s decision to sign him last summer, but he is not superior to Ederson, who is in line to return to the starting XI after injuring himself while giving away a penalty against Liverpool.

RB: Benjamin White (Arsenal)

We are sufficiently interested in pointless combined XIs.

As touched on in the intro, Walker is injured and not available for selection here, making right-back a simple position.

White has been incredible since his trip to Dubai with his team-mates. He reportedly went there to play uno on the beach during the international break so will probably drop his best performance of the season at the Etihad.

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CB: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

One of the best central defenders of the last 10 years, Ruben Dias has been a rock at the back ever since he joined the Cityzens from Benfica for around £60million in 2020.

CB: Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal)

William Saliba is a player who the Arsenal supporters adore but Gabriel is the better player and the club’s fan base have deservedly been singing the Brazilian’s praises an awful lot this season.

There has been talk of Gabriel missing the game through injury but we are fairly confident he will be fine to play. Mind games and all that, you know?

William Saliba celebrates Arsenal’s victory

LB: Nathan Ake (Manchester City)

Jakub Kiwior has been much improved since the turn of the year but he is not superior to Ake, who has been as consistent as they come in left-back for Pep Guardiola.

DM: Rodri (Manchester City)

The best in the world in his position, Rodri is a phenomenal footballer. He hasn’t lost in about 200 games, for crying out loud.

CM: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

There is a very solid case for De Bruyne being widely regarded as the greatest midfielder in Premier League history, which is a bit absurd and is sure to rattle a few people.

CM: Declan Rice (Arsenal)

There are not many combined XIs that Martin Odegaard would fail to get in to, but this is one of them. Unfortunately for the Arsenal captain, he is not on the same level as De Bruyne and Rice has been the best player in the Premier League this season.

Bernardo Silva is another player who is unlucky to miss out. If it was between himself and Odegaard, it would have been a very close call.

RW: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Anton Ferdinand is a fool and that’s all there is to it.

LW: Phil Foden (Manchester City)

Some might say Foden is out of position, but this is where he will probably play for England at this summer’s European Championships. Because he has played in more positions this season – and because Saka is better – Foden is the one to be shifted out to the left wing.

ST: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Haaland is the best striker in the world. Was his inclusion ever in doubt?

READ MORE: Erling Haaland’s ridiculous goalscoring stats at Manchester City