Kovacic and Alvarez start as Man City fans name their preferred line-up to play Arsenal
Manchester City supporters are calling for manager Pep Guardiola to make two changes to his starting XI for the impending Premier League showdown with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon (4.30pm).
The treble-winners will, once again, be without John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne at the Emirates Stadium due to injury, while defensive midfielder Rodri is unavailable through suspension. He will serve the final game of his three-match ban following a red card for throttling Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White.
How the champions deal with his absence has, seemingly, drawn most attention in the build-up. Here is the team Manchester Evening News readers want Guardiola to select:
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Goalkeeper - Ederson
Ederson is the undisputed number one. That will not change for such a massive game.
Defenders - Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol
It looks as though supporters want to see Guardiola stick with the same back four that played against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night in their Champions League victory. Nathan Ake might come under consideration, but on this occasion summer signing Gvardiol - incidentally from Leipzig - edges the Dutchman out.
Midfielders - Julian Alvarez, Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva
This is where the fans are calling for two changes to be made. Of course, one is enforced with Rodri suspended as Mateo Kovacic steps in for him as the defensive-minded shield. Academy graduate Rico Lewis is, meanwhile, a tad unfortunate to miss out after such a composed and mature showing midweek.
That said, Julian Alvarez more than played his part in the Leipzig win with a goal and