Predicted Arsenal line-up vs Brighton, Arteta makes 7 changes as £27m star returns
Arsenal will be eyeing a third-straight Premier League win when they host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium today.
The Gunners are presently two and three points ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa respectively in the league standings.
The upcoming game is a must-win. Manager Mikel Arteta could make up to seven changes from the Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Crystal Palace.
The Gunners played out two controversial 1-1 draws against Brighton in the top-flight last season, and they will be eyeing maximum points this time around.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Predicted Line-up:
David Raya has been ever-present in the Premier League this campaign, keeping nine clean sheets. The Spanish goalkeeper is poised to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga, who had a fantastic outing in midweek.
The defence could stay unchanged with Piero Hincapie nursing an injury picked up against Everton. The 23-year-old hurt his collarbone after colliding with Riccardo Calafiori and may not feature today.
That would mean a straightforward choice for Arteta. Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly could line up as the back four. Lewis-Skelly looks set for his first league start of the season.
Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White are also injured at the moment, while the game will come too soon for Gabriel Magalhaes, who is undergoing rehabilitation after a thigh injury. He has yet to return to training.
There will be an obvious midfield overhaul with Christian Norgaard, Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze making way. Martin Zubimendi is primed to start as the holding midfielder with Declan Rice in the number eight position.
Martin Odegaard will be reinstated in the number 10 role ahead of Eze, who struggled to make a significant impact during the midweek London derby win against his former employers.
In the final third, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli could make way for Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard respectively, while Viktor Gyokeres could lead the line ahead of Gabriel Jesus.
Madueke was wasteful from the right wing on Tuesday, missing two big chances. Saka is an undisputed starter in the role for the league and European games and will obviously make the XI.
Martinelli had a brilliant derby with three dribbles won, but he picked up a knock to his knee prior to the half-time interval. The Brazilian was spotted hobbling, and he could be doubtful to feature.
Hence, Trossard looks poised to start on the left side of attack. The £27 million signing is enjoying one of his best-ever seasons with 11 goal contributions already from 20 appearances for Arsenal.
Jesus played 86 minutes against Palace in midweek and was denied a goal due to the brilliance of goalkeeper Walter Benitez. Gyokeres should get the nod to lead the line today. Jesus could be restricted to a cameo as the club seek to manage his workload after a serious knee injury.
How Arsenal could line up vs Brighton
Stats from Sofascore.com
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