Arsenal are set for their final Europa League group game of 2022, with Zurich in their sights as they look to try to finish ahead of PSV in the table.
With Chelsea coming up at the weekend, there is mixed opinions on how strong a team should be named, knowing that should we drop to second in the table by having our result bettered by the Dutch, who have to go to Norway to take on Bodo/Glimt today also, that we would not just lose out on winning our group, but we will then have to face an extra fixture against one of the teams who have dropped out of the Champions League.
We have had some good news on our personnel issues of late however, with manager Mikel Arteta telling Arsenal Media that Mo Elneny having returned to training recently, and with Bukayo Saka also back to full fitness after having to be replaced at the weekend. Oleksandr Zinchenko is also back in training, but today is expected to come too soon for the Ukrainian. Emile Smith Rowe remains out.
Predicted Arsenal XI:
Ramsdale
Cedric Holding Gabriel Tierney
Lokonga Xhaka
Nelson Vieira Nketiah
Jesus
Nelson impressed when coming into replace Saka at the weekend, and will surely get the chance to continue that tonight. One of Martinelli or Jesus will likely start, which will decide where Eddie plays in the line-up, but I expect most of our first-team players to play some part depending on how the game is going. If we are comfortably in the lead, you can expect our better players to play as little as possible, but we will be going out there with the intention of winning.
Do you think we could see our best XI named this evening? Which players do you think are most likely to be rested ahead of Chelsea come Sunday?
Patrick
Mo and Sambi to replace Granite and Thomas.
Mo? You mean Mesut Ozil?
Don’t bring him up again! You know who I mean, big Mo.
I do realise you are joking btw 😊
😁😁😁
Hasn’t Xhaka got a suspension?
Yeah the Swiss cyborg is suspended.
Yes i think so
Yes SueP our most improved player has.
All the better to get the rest for the Chelsea game
I wonder who’s going to play alongside Sambi then?
Perhaps Odegaard?
I hope it’s not Partey as he’s too important for the Sunday game and we can’t afford him to pick up yet another injury
That’s a point
Arteta frequently surprises
Odegaard has played Xhaka’s position once or twice in the Europa League
If Zinchenko and Elneny aren’t fit enough to play Arteta May well play Ode again
Mo Elneny!
That would be ideal but has he fully recovered from his muscle injury?
I suspect Zinchenko could well join Lokonga in central midfield in the absence of Xhaka.
If he’s fit enough that would be a good solution
I don’t like when Nketiah plays wide of Jesus, he often gets into Jesus’s territory by getting in his way. He doesn’t know how to replace Martinelli or Saka, he can’t play wide forward. He is someone who wants to be on the end of things, not creating them, it’s not a great balance
They won’t both be playing imho.
Yes if they can do something suppressing