Zabaleta scored his first goal of the season during Manchester City's 4-1 win over Sunderland on Wednesday.

Zabaleta hasn't been nearly as active in the attack this season as last term, and the City defense has been up and down in terms of clean sheets. Things don't figure to get much easier this weekend, as they'll travel to Goodison Park to take on an Everton side scoring well lately.

Zabaleta is not in the 18-man squad for Saturday's Premier League match against Tottenham, with Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News speculating that he is being rested after two international games for Argentina in Asia and Manchester City having seven games in 21 games.

Zabaleta not even making the bench is quite surprising, as City will have only Aleksander Kolarov and Dedryck Boyata available off the bench. Bacary Sagna gets the start against Spurs in Zabaleta's place.

Zabaleta picked up his first clean sheet of the season thanks to Manchester City's 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.

Zabaleta has been a fine fantasy contributor of late, with a two-assist performance preceding his clean sheet in Premier League play. He continues to get involved on the attack, which is a good thing with upcoming matches against Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester United tough from a defensive standpoint.

Zabaleta assisted on both of Edin Dzeko's goals during Manchester City's 4-2 win over Hull City on Saturday.

Zabaleta plays enough in the attack to warrant fantasy consideration from an offensive standpoint, though he has yet to post a clean sheet, typically a more reliable source of fantasy points for a defender. Up next is a tough Champions League match against Roma on Tuesday before a return to Premier League play Saturday against Aston Villa.

Zabaleta will serve his one-game ban for picking up a red card last Sunday against Chelsea during Manchester City's Capital One Cup match against Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday, which means he will be eligible to play in Saturday's Premier League match against Hull City.

While a decision on whether he will start won't come until Saturday, it's great news for fantasy owners that he is able to serve his ban in a match he was unlikely to play in anyway. Zabaleta is still without a goal or an assist, while also searching for his first clean sheet of the season.

Zabaleta has shaken off a knock and is in the starting XI for Manchester City's Premier League match against Arsenal on Saturday.

Zabaleta was considered a doubt for the match, although he indicated earlier this week that he would be okay to play. He regains his starting role ahead of former-Gunner Bacary Sagna, who started against Stoke City before the international break.

Zabaleta was not mentioned among Manchester City's injured players during manager Manuel Pellegrini's press conference Friday, indicating that he is fit to face Arsenal on Saturday.

Zabaleta picked up a knock while on international duty, but it was never considered serious enough to keep him out. One option would be for Pellegrini to start former-Gunner Bacary Sagna in his return to the Emirates, which would hinder Zabaleta's fantasy potential.