Unai Emery has ruled out playing with two up front at this stage, but says that doesn’t completely rule out Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starting together.

Speaking to the media ahead of Arsenal’s game against West Ham, Emery was asked whether playing two up front is a possibility for him.

“At the moment, no,” he responded. “At the moment, I think we need to have the control with the possession, with the positioning on the pitch, with more players inside. And after this possession, to do the attacking moments and defending moments with this balance.”

Fans might be disappointed to hear that, as it seemingly rules out Lacazette and Aubameyang starting on the pitch together. After their impressive run late last season, that’s something supporters are excited to see again.

Fortunately, Emery seemed to suggest it was possible for the pair to play together even if he doesn’t start two up front.

“But, it is one possibility to continue in our progress and in one moment to try also to play with two scorers,” he continued. “In the last match of the pre-season, against Lazio, I did it with Lacazette and Nketiah.”

After the game against Chelsea, it’s difficult to drop either of the other two members of Arsenal’s front three. Alex Iwobi was arguably the team’s man of the match, making some fantastic chances and scoring one of his own.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan thrived in his best position on the right hand side, creating more than anyone else on the pitch. He didn’t offer enough defensively on the day, but that’s unlikely to be as much of an issue against West Ham as it was against Chelsea. Still, it’s something he needs to get right.

As a result, we’re only likely to see one of Aubameyang and Lacazette starting on Saturday. Hopefully that’s enough to get the win.