The Blues warmed up for their date with Arsene Wenger's Gunners by recording a comfortable 3-1 Europa League triumph over Polish outfit Lech Poznan.
For Adebayor in particular, it was a significant night. Not only did the Togo forward score his first goals of the season, and walk off with the match ball for the first time since his £25million move to the Blues in the summer of 2009, he also put himself firmly in Mancini's line of vision for the encounter with his old club.
As skipper, Tevez is already certain of his place yet, according to Mancini, the South American's presence does not automatically mean Adebayor will be squeezed out.
"It is not a problem," said Mancini.
"They played together against Blackpool last week. "It is normal for my teams to play with two strikers. That is what I usually like to do."
Source: PA
Source: PA