The Blues are aiming to make it a hat-trick of victories within a week when the Gunners come to town, but the Manager is taking nothing for granted as he ponders his options.
The demands of European football on Thursday night led to several players being rested with an eye on the Arsenal game, but Mancini is set to shuffle his pack once again.
He said, “We must recover after playing Poznan - Arsenal will be a very different game. They play very well, probably the best team playing in the Premier League, and they won their Champions League game in midweek 5-1.
But we want to do good work on Sunday. It is a match between two top squads, and we must have a good balance against them.
City may be looking down on the north London outfit in the league, but Mancini points to that fact that the core of their squad has been together for several years whereas City’s are still getting to know each other.
“We have a good team, but Arsenal have played together for several years, and we want to become better than them,” he added. “In the end, we can be, but we must work hard because they have been together five or six years. We need them (those extra years) but we have a good chance - it depends on us.
“I am feeling good, the squad is feeling good, but it is only the start of the season. We must wait and continue to work. When you play every three days, it is a very long season. The game is important for us and for Arsenal.”
One exciting option Mancini have is Italian striker Mario Balotelli, absent with a knee injury since his goal-scoring debut in Romania in August.
“Mario could be involved - we will wait until Saturday. I think probably he can be on the bench,” he concluded.
