How Myles Lewis-Skelly’s overturned red card gives Mikel Arteta a selection headache ahead of Arsenal’s crunch clash with Manchester City

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Arsenal face Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium in a huge Premier League clash off the back of securing a last-16 spot in the Champions League.

Arsenal head into the game against Pep Guardiola’s side knowing that they could be nine points behind leaders Liverpool come kick off at the Emirates Stadium – three points are a must.

David Raya is expected to be fit for the Man City clash whilst the Gunners can also select their left back from the win at Wolves after Myles Lewis-Skelly had his red card overturned.

Subsequently, Arsenal have been charged by the FA for failing to control their players following the incident with Lewis-Skelly but the youngsters availability does give Mikel Arteta a huge dilemma ahead of a must-win game.

Mikel Arteta to choose between Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori against Man City

Left back was a problem area for Arsenal last season with Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko both struggling in the position.

The emergence of Lewis-Skelly and the arrival of Riccardo Calafiori in the summer has now meant that Arteta has a real decision to make as to who he plays in the position ahead of the massive clash.

Lewis-Skelly has been brilliant in Calafiori’s absence in recent weeks, showing a real maturity and confidence to drive the team forward on the left hand side.

Calafiori came on for the youngster during the win over Wolves and scored the winning goal, earning him high praise in the Arsenal player ratings. He also excelled during Arsenal’s Champions League win over Girona.

With such high stakes involved in the City game, Arteta now needs to decide between youth and experience as to who gets the left back spot.

Arteta should start Lewis-Skelly over Calafiori according to key stats

Whilst Lewis-Skelly may need to be protected a little following a week very much in the spotlight, the Hale End graduate is outperforming Calafiori in a number of key statistics this season.

Calafiori will also remember struggling against Savinho in the previous meeting between the two sides, he was turned inside out for Erling Haaland’s opener back in September.

Lewis-Skelly has the upper hand in a number of key metrics this season, including pass completion and tackles won – two aspects that will be key against a Man City outfit.

Calafiori has shown however that he could be an option later on in the game with his aerial ability should Arsenal need to defend crosses or even attack from set-pieces.

It is a fantastic problem for Arteta to have as he is choosing from two players who are both at the top of their games right now. It will be interesting to see which path the manage chooses come the clash at the Emirates.