With both sides still in control of their own title destiny, second-placed Manchester City host Premier League leaders Arsenal in a mouthwatering Etihad encounter on Wednesday evening.
Mikel Arteta's men currently hold a five-point lead over the Spaniard's former employers in first place, but the reigning champions crucially boast two games in hand, and anything other than a win in Manchester will mean that Arsenal's silverware hopes are out of their own hands.
Pep Guardiola's men took a break from the title fight to continue their treble quest in the FA Cup, cruising past Sheffield United 3-0 to book a date with bitter adversaries Manchester United in the Wembley final.
Prior to that Riyad Mahrez masterclass, Arsenal squandered a magnificent opportunity to increase their advantage at the top, drawing 3-3 with basement side Southampton in a game that could have also confirmed their qualification for the Champions League.
As the two leading teams in England prepare to fight until the final whistle, Sports Mole takes on the task of whittling down the best players from each team into a combined XI, using only those expected to be available for the match.
The jury is still out on Arsenal number one Aaron Ramsdale, who did not cover himself in glory whatsoever when gifting Carlos Alcaraz the opening goal on a plate on Friday night, but the England international has saved the Gunners' bacon numerous times this term - 12 clean sheets is evidence of that. Ederson has recorded two fewer shut-outs than his counterpart - albeit having played two fewer games - but the Brazilian, who also boasts five years more experience than Ramsdale, gets the nod for us.
Fighting for the label of England's best defender in the 2022-23 season, both Ben White and John Stones have been irrepressible in the current campaign, taking to their respective right-back roles like a duck takes to water. With two goals and five assists this term, White's numbers trump Stones's one goal and two assists, but the City man boasts a better pass completion percentage (93.7% to 85.9%) and aerial duels won (1.2 compared to 0.8 per game) and he just edges this right-back battle, even though his recent exploits have come from an inverted position.
William Saliba - arguably one of the best defenders in the division this term - would have been a worthy contender for a place, but the Arsenal man's back injury is a major blow for the Gunners, who are fearful that he could even miss the rest of the season. However, Gabriel Magalhaes has truly come of age alongside him this season, scoring three goals and winning 2.4 aerial battles per game. The Brazilian does still have a mistake in him, but he was a surefire pick over Aymeric Laporte, Manuel Akanji and Rob Holding. Meanwhile, Ruben Dias has endured a slightly frustrating campaign in sky blue - only starting 18 Premier League games - but he now appears to have forced his way back into the first XI on a consistent basis and slots in to the other centre-back spot here.
As is the case with Saliba, a hamstring injury to Nathan Ake - who has shone on the left-hand side throughout the campaign - means that the Dutchman is not considered for selection this time around, as former Man City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko hopes to haunt his former club this week. The Ukrainian's signing was a masterstroke for an Arsenal side crying out for a player of Zinchenko's mould, and with 212 progressive passes - the sixth highest in the league - his ability to consistently break the lines and tuck into midfield has been a huge factor in the Gunners' rise to the summit.
However, Zinchenko's contributions are dwarfed by the pass master that is Rodri, who leads the progressive passes category for the Premier League with 236, as well as the general passing statistics with a whopping 2,346 completed this season. It is therefore no surprise to see the Spaniard contribute six assists this season - as well as two strikes for himself - as he beats the effective duo of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka to the number six role.
Onto another leader of one of the Premier League's statistical categories, Kevin De Bruyne, who enters Wednesday's game having provided 15 assists in the ongoing top-flight campaign - the joint-most in the big five European leagues alongside Lionel Messi. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is also the only player with more shot-creating actions than the Belgian - 167 to to 161 - and there were no question marks over De Bruyne's selection. Alongside De Bruyne is Arsenal's captain fantastic Martin Odegaard, who continues to justify the club's decision to bless him with the armband with 12 goals and seven assists this term, and he edges out Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva for the final midfield spot.
As the only player in the division to hit double figures for goals and assists in the current Premier League season, Bukayo Saka was a shoo-in. Arguably one of the best right-wingers on the planet right now, Saka has contributed 13 goals and 11 assists to Arsenal's title charge, and he beats Riyad Mahrez to a spot in our XI. On the opposite side, choosing between Gabriel Martinelli and Jack Grealish was perhaps the biggest dilemma in this team - especially given Martinelli's 15 goals this term - but the latter is enjoying his finest form in a Man City shirt and ranks third in the league for goal creating actions (18, one more than Martinelli), so he just gets the nod for us.
While Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard have both made positive impressions at the Emirates, neither man can feel hard done by to miss out here. Already equalling the most goals for a 38-game Premier League season and three away from breaking the outright record, Erling Braut Haaland - who some claimed made Man City worse - was the first name on our teamsheet and will have a glint in his eyes as he prepares to terrorise a Saliba-less Arsenal backline on Wednesday.
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Ben Knapton
