New signing to debut: How Arsenal could line up vs Norwich City

Arsenal return from the international break to face Norwich City on Saturday, let’s take a look at our predicted lineup for the clash.

Arsenal currently sit bottom of the Premier League table with no wins and no goals in their first three games. The good news is that they’ll now face one of only two other teams to fail to pick up a point – Norwich City.

The Gunners absolutely have to get their season going with a win, particularly at the Emirates Stadium in front of their own fans. Here’s our predicted lineup for the match.

Goalkeeper

It seems likely Bernd Leno keeps his place in the team, though Aaron Ramsdale is certainly putting the pressure on. Ramsdale kept a clean sheet against West Brom and another in the international break friendly against Brentford – for what it’s worth.

Still, Leno has been away during that same international break keeping a clean sheet for Germany. Despite the criticism often aimed at him, he prevented quite a few more goals against Chelsea and Manchester City and will probably continue to start.

Defence

Thankfully, Ben White is back from his Covid-19 absence, and he should start at right-centre-back. Kieran Tierney is also still a nailed-on starter, but the other two positions are a little harder to call.

Gabriel Magalhaes is closing in on full fitness, but he’s still only recently back from his extended injury absence. We’re predicting Mikel Arteta to stick with Pablo Mari for now, but it could go either way.

As for the right-back position, Hector Bellerin is gone, but Cedric Soares and Calum Chambers remain to provide competition for new signing Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Our prediction is that Tomiyasu will make his debut, given how keen Arteta was to push the deal through and the fact neither Cedric nor Chambers have really managed to nail down their spots.

Midfield

Thanks to Granit Xhaka’s red card and Mohamed Elneny’s injury, Arsenal’s midfield options are a bit short right now. Thomas Partey is supposedly close to a return, but he wasn’t ready to feature in the international break friendly against Brentford.

As a result, Arteta may have to turn to Albert Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, as basically his only available deep midfielders.

Ahead of them, you get the sense Arteta may have to choose between Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe. With Nicolas Pepe, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli to squeeze into two wide positions as well, it’s difficult to find room in the team for both.

It’s not ideal to give up Odegaard’s chance creation when you’re struggling for goals as badly as Arsenal are, so we’re giving him the nod.

Forwards

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should start up front, though Alexandre Lacazette is definitely putting the pressure on him.

Pepe and Saka are the likely choices either side, with Saka in good form over the international break and Pepe back from illness to provide an assist in the Brentford friendly.

Youngsters Martinelli and Folarin Balogun will have to wait for chances, likely in the Carabao Cup against AFC Wimbledon in mid-September, and Eddie Nketiah remains out injured for now.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Norwich City

5 changes: How Arsenal could line up vs Manchester City

After a big League Cup win, Arsenal need to carry that momentum into the Premier League. Let’s take a look at our predicted Arsenal lineup to face Manchester City.

After no goals in their first two Premier League games, Arsenal lifted spirits with a 6-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starred with three goals and an assist, but Nicolas Pépé, Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and Alexandre Lacazette were all involved in the scoring as well, an encouraging sign for the coming league fixtures.

Unfortunately, Arsenal’s next game is about as tough as it gets, away to Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta has no reason to hold back, given the international break coming up afterwards, but his side will need to be at their best to have any chance at all. Here’s our predicted Arsenal lineup to face Manchester City on Saturday.

Goalkeeper

Aaron Ramsdale played well and kept a clean sheet against West Brom, but it seems pretty likely Bernd Leno will come back in anyway. At least there’s some competition for the position now, and we can only hope that pushes both of them on.

Defence

Gabriel Magalhaes is back in training, but it seems more likely he’ll rejoin the starting lineup after the international break. Ben White is also still a doubt for this match after his positive Covid-19 test last week. As a result, Pablo Mari and Rob Holding will probably start.

Nuno Tavares played at left-back in midweek, giving Kieran Tierney a rest after he struggled with cramp against Chelsea. Tierney should be available to come back in.

On the other side, Calum Chambers may return to the side after he performed well against West Brom. It’s a tight call between him, Cedric Soares, and Hector Bellerin at the moment, so it makes sense to pick the player in form.

Midfield

Granit Xhaka is pretty certain to start, fresh from his recent new contract. Albert Sambi Lokonga will probably come back into the side whilst Thomas Partey remains absent.

Martin Odegaard surely has to have a place in the side after his performance against West Brom as well. That obviously makes it difficult for Emile Smith Rowe to feature in midfield, but it’s very possible the youngster starts out wide instead.

Forwards

With a hat-trick and an assist in midweek, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will surely start up front.

There’s some competition though, with Alexandre Lacazette performing well in his cameo, Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka both involved in goals as well, and Smith Rowe still to come back in.

Our prediction is that Lacazette and Pepe will be the unlucky pair to miss out on starts, with Saka, Odegaard and Smith Rowe backing up Aubameyang.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Manchester City

2 new signing debuts: How Arsenal could line up vs West Brom

Arsenal take on West Brom in the League Cup on Wednesday looking for their first win of the season, let’s take a look at our predicted lineup for the clash.

Mikel Arteta is likely to rotate for this match, partly because these cup competitions are the only way some players are going to get minutes, and partly because all the injuries and Covid-19 disruptions are going to put a strain on the current starting lineup if he doesn’t.

Those injury and illness absences will make it difficult to make changes in a few positions, but for the rest you’d expect heavy rotation.

The exciting part about that is we might get to see a couple of debuts (or a second debut in one particular case). Here’s our Arsenal predicted lineup to face West Brom.

Goalkeeper

This seems like a good chance to hand Aaron Ramsdale his Arsenal debut, so it’s one that Arteta should take. If you don’t give players chances in these sorts of games, they aren’t ready for the games that really matter.

Bernd Leno made a couple of great saves against Chelsea at the weekend, but he’s not going to be too upset about missing the League Cup second round.

Defence

Nuno Tavares probably would have come in for this game anyway, but he’s definitely going to now that Kieran Tierney has an injury problem. On the other side, Calum Chambers could come in to replace Cedric Soares, with Hector Bellerin also injured.

At centre-back, Ben White is going to be out, Gabriel Magalhaes isn’t yet back, and with Chambers at right-back that only leaves Pablo Mari and Rob Holding starting again.

Midfield

As long as Martin Odegaard’s visa issues are resolved in time, Arteta has three players available to bring in to his midfield: Odegaard, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and Mohamed Elneny.

Maitland-Niles is also probably a good pick as he spent the last half a season on loan with West Brom, so he’ll be comfortable facing their players. Plus he needs to be in the shop window if he’s not going to be involved for Arteta when it matters this season.

With Thomas Partey still injured, and Granit Xhaka, Emile Smith Rowe and Albert Sambi Lokonga all starting the first couple of games of the season and likely to start the next too, this is a chance to give them a rest.

Forwards

Arsenal are really low on options in the front three. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will probably be saved for the Manchester City game after recovering from Covid-19, and there’s no guarantees Alexandre Lacazette will have recovered by then.

Willian also had Covid-19, and he wasn’t really in contention for matches anyway. Bukayo Saka is clearly still building his fitness and seems unlikely to start, whilst Gabriel Martinelli is injured – though hopefully it’s nothing serious.

That leaves Folarin Balogun to start up front, Reiss Nelson to fill in on the left and another likely start for Nicolas Pépé. There really aren’t many other options, barring Smith Rowe slotting in on the left. But Smith Rowe is another better rested for City – if possible.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs West Brom

Bukayo Saka to start: How Arsenal could line up vs Chelsea

Arsenal take on Chelsea in their first Premier League home game of the season on Sunday, let’s take a look at our predicted lineup for the clash.

After the poor opening-day defeat to Brentford, Arsenal don’t have a simple task bouncing back in their next couple of league games, as they’ll face Chelsea and Manchester City.

Chelsea are up first, at the Emirates Stadium, following Arsenal’s recent pre-season defeat in this exact fixture. Winning goalscorer Tammy Abraham is unlikely to be available this time around, but there’s just the small matter of facing Romelu Lukaku instead.

Mikel Arteta is undoubtedly going to pick the best team available to him for the match, but there are a few injuries and potential illness issues that will force his hand in some areas of the pitch. Here’s our Arsenal predicted lineup to face Chelsea.

Goalkeeper

Bernd Leno will inevitably start in goal, with Arsenal’s limited goalkeeping options cut down even further by Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson’s illness and subsequent unavailability last weekend. Rúnarsson may well be back by Sunday, but Leno will still start.

The good news is that Karl Hein and Arthur Okonkwo are getting more first-team chances than they may have expected, and one or both will join the squad again as they did against Brentford.

Defence

There are unlikely to be many changes in the back four, simply because there aren’t too many players available for Arteta to bring in.

Kieran Tierney and Ben White are both clearly in Arteta’s first-choice lineup anyway, and Gabriel Magalhaes is still injured so Pablo Mari’s spot isn’t under threat. The only possible change is at right-back, but we’re predicting Arteta will stick with Calum Chambers there anyway.

Midfield

Again, there isn’t a huge capacity for changes here. Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga are the best options in the deeper midfield positions with Thomas Partey injured, and Emile Smith Rowe is effectively the only choice in front of them.

The situation only emphasises the need for Arsenal to get Partey fit again and make at least one midfield signing before the transfer window closes. But for this match, they’ll have to work with what they have.

Forwards

Bukayo Saka looked bright in the latter stages of the game against Brentford, and he’s now likely in a much better position to start matches again, having had a few weeks to build his fitness.

Saka will probably start opposite Nicolas Pépé, but it will be very interesting to see who ends up in the centre-forward position. Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are still doubts with their illnesses, leaving Folarin Balogun and Gabriel Martinelli to fight it out.

It honestly could be either of them, but if Balogun isn’t going to get chances up front when Lacazette, Aubameyang, and Eddie Nketiah are all out, when will he? So if he’s not imminently set for a loan, he surely has to start this match.

Predicted Arsenal Starting Lineup vs Chelsea

2 competitive debuts: How Arsenal could line up vs Brentford

Arsenal kick off the Premier League season against Brentford on Friday, let’s take a look at our predicted lineup for the clash.

After some very mixed results in pre-season ended on a low note with defeats to Chelsea and Spurs, Arsenal will be hoping those matches have helped fire them up for the new campaign.

First up, they travel away to promoted Brentford in the Premier League opener on Friday. Mikel Arteta has most of his squad back from their holidays, with only Lucas Torreira still abroad, but not everyone will be fit and ready for Friday.

Here’s our predicted Arsenal lineup to face Brentford this week.

Goalkeeper

Given Arsenal’s failure to bring in a goalkeeper so far this window, the fact they’re still rotating between Karl Hein and Arthur Okonkwo in the pre-season squads and the high likelihood Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson leaves this window, there’s only really one option here – Bernd Leno.

Defence

Three of the back four should be pretty easy to predict, with Kieran Tierney obviously starting on the left, and Pablo Mari and Ben White in central defence.

Calum Chambers is the only player who could realistically displace the centre-backs, given Gabriel Magalhaes and Rob Holding’s fitness problems, and it seems very unlikely he starts ahead of White.

Instead, Chambers might be a better bet at right-back, but Hector Bellerín and Cedric Soares are also options. It’s not an easy call, with Bellerín starting against Spurs, Chambers against Chelsea, and Cedric against Watford in the last three games.

Chambers has probably been the most impressive of the three in pre-season, so we’ll guess that he’ll get the nod.

Midfield

With Thomas Partey absent through injury, there really shouldn’t be much debate over the three midfield positions. Granit Xhaka has to start, and Albert Sambi Lokonga has looked more up to the task of filling in for Partey than Mohamed Elneny in pre-season.

Ahead of those two, Emile Smith Rowe is basically the only option. At the moment, the alternative to Smith Rowe is Willian, who wasn’t even selected for the squad against Spurs.

Forwards

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are back, and Saka did feature in a cameo appearance against Spurs, but it seems a bit soon for either of them to start this match. Hopefully, they’ll both make the bench, because Arsenal may well need them.

With Eddie Nketiah out injured and Folarin Balogun yet to break into the starting lineup, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will likely take their places in a front three along with Nicolas Pépé.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Brentford

Tavares scores: Rangers 2 vs Arsenal 2 – with goals

Arsenal played out a 2-2 draw with Rangers to end their mini-tour of Scotland.

Great goal for Leon Balogun 1-0 Rangers #RANARS pic.twitter.com/6f0UTgChtS
— Andrew Mulder McCoi5t E5q. (@ojmiester87) July 17, 2021

Nuno Taveres scores for the Arsenal 👏

pic.twitter.com/Kjy7L3tOjY
— Gunners (@Gunnersc0m) July 17, 2021

Rangers retook the lead with another set-piece header before Eddie Nketiah scored in the 83rd minute to make it 2-2.

Cedric Itten 2-1. Another header for Rangers! #RANARS pic.twitter.com/emuWZANZri
— Andrew Mulder McCoi5t E5q. (@ojmiester87) July 17, 2021

Eddie Nketiah equalises for Arsenal. 2-2 now. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/H7EdAb5XcT
— TheAFCnewsroom (@TheAFCnewsroom) July 17, 2021

Thankfully, Arsenal have hired a new set-piece coach from Manchester City to replace the one that left.

Rangers vs Arsenal lineups

After defeat to Hibernian FC, Arsenal are preparing to face Rangers in their second pre-season fixture, so let’s take a look at their lineup for the match.

Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Bassey, Lundstram, Goldson, Hagi, Defoe, Davis, Kamara, Roofe, Balogun

Subs: McLaughlin, Itten, Simpson, Patterson, Jones, Wright, Kelly, Edmundson, Hastie, Mayo, Arfield, Middleton

Arsenal: Okonkwo, Cedric, Holding, Pablo Mari, Tavares, Elneny, Partey, Smith Rowe, Pepe, Balogun, Aubameyang

Subs: Hein, Chambers, Bellerin, Tierney, Kolasinac, Maitland-Niles, Willock, Nelson, Willian, Nketiah, Lacazette

Rangers vs Arsenal predicted lineup

As expected in their first pre-season fixture, Arsenal made plenty of changes throughout the match to ensure everybody on the bench got at least a few minutes.

You’d expect the same against Rangers, but we’re predicting Mikel Arteta will start a team more similar to the one that finished the match against Hibernian, so they all get a chance to compete in a first-half against fresher opponents.

That said, here’s our predicted Arsenal lineup to face Rangers on Saturday.

Goalkeeper

We now know Arsenal have brought a batch of youth goalkeepers on the trip, including Arthur Okonkwo, Karl Hein, James Hillson, and Tom Smith. The likes of Runar Alex Runarsson and Dejan Iliev appear to have been left behind, possibly to secure transfers.

Our prediction is that Hein and Okonkwo will continue to get chances though, with Hillson and Smith acting as the backups, as that seems to be the hierarchy within the academy. So we’re picking Hein for a start in goal.

Defence

Nuno Tavares’ paperwork should be sorted by the time this game comes around, so that gives him a chance to feature from the start for his new club. On the other side, Hector Bellerin only played the final 27 minutes against Hibs, so he’ll likely get a chance to start.

At centre-back, Arsenal have a bit of a problem, because so few senior defenders have made the trip. Pablo Mari is really the only one, and he played the entire 90 minutes against Hibs.

As a result, we may be set to see youth players Harry Clarke and Omar Rekik starting together.

Midfield

After Mohamed Elneny made a 75-minute appearance and with Jack Henry-Francis unlikely to start (as well as he played against Hibs), we’ll probably see Thomas Partey and Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the middle – as they only played 45 minutes each on Tuesday.

Forwards

Arsenal played somewhat of a front four against Hibs, with two wide players and two up front. All eight players only played a half each in that match, so it’s feasible that any four of them could make a start.

Our guess is that Arteta will start this match as he finished that one, with Folarin Balogun and Alexandre Lacazette backed up by Emile Smith Rowe and Nicolas Pepe.

Predicted Arsenal lineup to face Rangers

1st team of pre-season: How Arsenal could line up vs Hibs

Arsenal kick off pre-season with a friendly against Hibernian FC on Tuesday, let’s look at our predicted team for the clash.

After returning to training this week from their summer holiday, the Arsenal squad are preparing for their Edinburgh training camp and a couple of fixtures in Scotland against Hibs and Rangers.

For unexplained reasons likely related to quarantines and isolation periods, not every available player has returned to training with Arsenal just yet.

It’s possible they’ll feature in the Hibs friendly anyway, but for now, we’re going to assume the Arsenal side will largely be made up of the players who have been in training already over the last week. Here’s our predicted Arsenal lineup for that match.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup – Goalkeeper

Bernd Leno is on holiday and Mat Ryan has left, so Runar Alex Runarsson is the most senior goalkeeper and the most likely to start this match.

Arthur Okonkwo has a fresh new contract and has been promoted to the first team, so he’ll likely get some minutes too. So far there’s been no sign of Dejan Iliev in training photos, nor Karl Hein, but they’re both possibilities for a squad spot.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup – Defence

The only senior defenders we’ve seen in training so far are Sead Kolasinac, Pablo Mari, Calum Chambers, and Cedric Soares, so that’s probably the back four that will start against Hibs.

Left-back Nuno Tavares has joined in the last couple of days, so he’ll likely get his debut from the bench. Centre-backs Harry Clarke and Omar Rekik look to be stepping up from the u23s for a pre-season chance as well.

There’s no sign of Rob Holding yet, but he should be involved soon. William Saliba is closing in on a loan move, and Gabriel Magalhaes is injured.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup – Midfield

Again, our team prediction will be based on the midfielders we’ve actually seen in training so far, so Emile Smith Rowe, Thomas Partey, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Granit Xhaka is away on holiday, as is Lucas Torreira. Matteo Guendouzi has left the club, and there’s no sign of Joe Willock or Mohamed Elneny just yet. Ideally, those two, Miguel Azeez and a few other youngsters will join the squad.

Arsenal Forwards

With Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on international duty, this is another area where numbers are limited. There’s also no sign of Willian, Alexandre Lacazette, or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, though you’d expect them all in training very soon.

For the time being, that leaves Reiss Nelson and Nicolas Pepe to start on the wings, with either Eddie Nketiah or Folarin Balogun up front. The backup wing spots will have to be filled by u23s, with Kido Taylor-Hart close to a new deal.

Nketiah and Balogun will likely both get chances in the coming weeks, but there’s an element of keeping Nketiah in the shop window that has me predicting he’ll start.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Hibs

Early Arsenal team news vs Manchester United: Odegaard, Partey, Aubameyang

As Arsenal prepare to face Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, some information is emerging about which players might be involved.

Starting off with the bad news, Chris Wheatley reports that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang won’t be available for the game. There was some speculation that he might have trouble with quarantine after going to visit his family over his mother’s health issue.

The rest of the updates are largely positive. TheAFCBell write that Thomas Partey passed his late fitness test on Friday, so he’ll make the squad. Martin Odegaard will also reportedly feature in the matchday squad.

Emile Smith Rowe, another injury doubt after Tuesday, looks to be ready for involvement as well. He was in training on Friday with the team, and James Benge reports that it was just cramp that forced him off against Southampton.

Similarly, Kieran Tierney trained with the squad in the last couple of days. Sam Dean reported earlier this week that the left-back’s injury is nothing serious, and he should be available for United.

Mikel Arteta wasn’t giving anything away on the injuries in his press conference, as you’d expect.

There are still a couple of unknowns ahead of kick-off. Pablo Mari and Dani Ceballos returned to training this week, but it’s not clear whether either are available to feature. Ceballos is by far the more likely of the two.

To sum up, it looks like Arsenal will be missing Aubameyang, Mari, and possibly Ceballos. The rest of the squad should be available for selection, and debutant Odegaard will be involved for the first time – likely on the bench at first.

Looking to keep their unbeaten run going against tough opposition, let’s take a look at our Arsenal predicted lineup vs Manchester United.

Even if they have just lost at home to bottom-of-the-league Sheffield United, Manchester United are still among the top teams in the division. Arteta will need to pick his strongest available side to get a result on Saturday.

Arsenal are on a run of five wins in six matches in the Premier League, since their Boxing Day rejuvenation. But the real test is keeping it going in the tougher fixtures now. The win away to Southampton was a good start, but it was only a start.

Yet Arsenal fans will have some optimism, particularly given their recent results against United. Many might consider placing a bet on Arteta’s side using comeonbetting.com.

Here’s our Arsenal predicted lineup to face Manchester United this weekend.

Goalkeeper

Bernd Leno will start, barring injury. He almost made a wonder-save to prevent Southampton’s only goal on Tuesday, and he made plenty of other difficult stops to keep the hosts to just one. Before that, he was on a run of four Premier League clean sheets.

But it’s good to see Mat Ryan involved with the squads immediately after his loan move. Hopefully, he can put some pressure on the German to keep performing.

Runar Alex Runarsson seems to have dropped out of contention for starts, amid the rumours of a possible loan away.

Even if he doesn’t leave, the goalkeeper may find games difficult to come by in the next few months, given the risk that Arsenal have to leave out another non-homegrown player. You’d think he’s high on the list of candidates for exclusion with Ryan and Leno around.

Defence

David Luiz did not have a good day against Southampton, and Pablo Mari is only just returning to training after injury this week. As a result, Gabriel Magalhaes seems like the most sensible choice at left-centre-back right now.

It’s true that Gabriel also had a poor first half against Southampton in the previous game, but he very much improved after the break. Some rustiness was expected after his recent absence. Plus, he played very well against United in the away match.

Rob Holding will probably start alongside him, with Hector Bellerin at right-back. Cedric Soares played well at left-back on Tuesday, but if Kieran Tierney’s back it’s difficult to leave him out, and the signs are that he will be.

Midfield

Granit Xhaka is likely to keep his place, but the other two spots in the midfield really depend on how the injury situation develops in the next couple of days. Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe, and Dani Ceballos all have question marks around their availability.

Reports suggest Partey ‘should be fine’ after his early substitution, which would be a big boost after his performance at Old Trafford.

Thomas Partey has recovered well from the Southampton game. He will have one last check today, but is expected to be fit to face United.
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) January 29, 2021

If Smith Rowe isn’t available, Martin Odegaard is fit and eligible for selection. But perhaps this game would come too soon for him, after only a couple of days training with his new side. Then there’s Willian, who replaced Smith Rowe on Tuesday.

Given Smith Rowe’s injury has only been described as ‘discomfort’, we’re going to stay optimistic that he can start the match, even if he has to come off early.

Forwards

Nicolas Pepe is one of only a few players who played the 90 minutes of both matches against Southampton – though he did come off in injury time in the second.

It’s not impossible he starts on the left once again, but perhaps it’s more likely Gabriel Martinelli gets a game. Particularly if Tierney is available, as they probably suit each other better with the left-foot right-foot combination.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is another option, but his current circumstances are somewhat unclear. It’s possible he’ll have to quarantine after visiting his family. So we’re leaving him out, for now.

For the other two positions, there shouldn’t really be any debate. Alexandre Lacazette up front, Bukayo Saka on the right. They each got an assist for the other’s goal on Tuesday.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Manchester United