Ainsley Maitland-Niles has become the first-choice left-back, if Arsene Wenger’s rotation policy is anything to go by, and fans believe he could be used on Friday against Liverpool.

Maitland-Niles has started Arsenal’s last two Premier League games as a left back over Sead Kolasinac. The move looked to be a temporary one as many thought Kolasinac was just being rested during the busy winter period.

However, the Bosnian started in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against West Ham, while Maitland-Niles was left out of the squad.

For some fans, this is an indication that the 20-year-old could be starting against Liverpool on Friday – and going up against the in-form Mohamed Salah.

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Salah has scored 14 goals in 17 Premier League games this season and is showing no sign of slowing down. Some feel that Maitland-Niles’s combination of pace and right-footedness would make him a better match for the Egyptian, however.

Alternatively, Nacho Monreal could play left-back in anticipation of Shkodran Mustafi’s return to the first-team. Kolasinac could also start again. Wenger has options to choose from, but whoever plays there on Friday, they’ll have a big job on their hands to keep the Reds forward quiet.

It’s a big game for both clubs in the race for a Champions League spot, with Arsenal currently one point behind Liverpool in fifth place.