How Arsenal could line up vs Leicester City

Arsenal return to Premier League action with a trip to Leicester City on Sunday, let’s take a look at our predicted lineup for the clash.

After scraping through in the final minutes of their Europa League tie against Benfica, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal return their focus to domestic competition for a couple of games.

First up, they face Leicester City, on the back of the Foxes’ disappointing Europa League exit to SK Slavia Prague. Brendan Rodgers’ side will be looking to bounce back and consolidate their current spot in the top four.

With this game coming so soon after Thursday’s trip to Athens, you’d expect a few chances from Arteta. But he’ll know this is a tough game and likely stick with his starters wherever he thinks it’s safe to do so. Here’s our Arsenal predicted lineup.

Arsenal lineup – Goalkeeper

Bernd Leno didn’t make a save in the second leg against Benfica, but he had no chance with the goals and at least he avoided a red card after rushing out to try and salvage something following Dani Ceballos’ poor headed pass. He should keep his place.

Arsenal lineup – Defence

Largely, we’re expecting a similar back four to the one that played against Benfica. There’s no real necessity to drop Gabriel Magalhaes or David Luiz, but perhaps Kieran Tierney will drop out for Cedric Soares after his recent injury problems.

That only leaves Hector Bellerin (or Calum Chambers, perhaps) to start at right-back.

Arsenal lineup – Midfield

Thomas Partey is fit again, but rushing him back into the starting lineup is ill-advised. Ceballos may well get an immediate shot at redemption after his midweek mistakes by starting again alongside Granit Xhaka instead.

Martin Odegaard has now made more starts in 11 days than he did in his final four months with Real Madrid. It may also be a good idea to give him a rest and let Emile Smith Rowe take over at 10 for this one. Smith Rowe came off early against Benfica.

Arsenal lineup – Forwards

We’re predicting some changes at the front, given the recent busy schedule. Smith Rowe moving into the 10 position leaves a gap on the left, whilst Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang realistically need a rest.

Alexandre Lacazette can come in up front, with Nicolas Pepe on the right, but that leaves an opening on the left. Willian is likely to fill it, in the absence of the usual alternatives of Pepe, Saka, and Smith Rowe.

It won’t go down well with the Arsenal fans, but Willian had a decent cameo against Benfica and it seems like Arteta plans to use Gabriel Martinelli centrally rather than on the left.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Leicester City

Arsenal lineup vs Benfica:

Starting XI: Leno, Bellerin, David Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney, Ceballos, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Aubameyang

Subs: Ryan, Hein, Cedric, Chambers, Pablo Mari, Elneny, Partey, Willian, Pepe, Nketiah, Martinelli, Lacazette

Tierney to start: How Arsenal could line up vs Benfica

Arsenal travel to Athens for the second leg of their Europa League tie on Thursday, let’s take a look at our predicted lineup for the clash.

Mikel Arteta made his priorities clear last week, picking his strongest side against Benfica before rotating a few players out against Manchester City at the weekend.

The manager knows Arsenal’s best hope of a positive end to the season is through success in the Europa League, so defeat in the second leg would be very damaging. As a result, we expect him to pick a strong side in Athens.

Although they didn’t get the win in Rome, arguably Arsenal outperformed their opponents, so you wouldn’t expect a huge number of changes from that much. Here’s our Arsenal predicted lineup.

Goalkeeper

Bernd Leno will start in goal, with Mat Ryan on the bench. Karl Hein looks the most likely to step up and join Ryan on the bench from the Arsenal academy after he made the squad last week.

Defence

Pablo Mari and Rob Holding started against Manchester City, but they’re likely to come out for Gabriel Magalhaes and David Luiz, who seem to be the first-choice pairing at the moment.

There are a few possible combinations at full-back. Kieran Tierney will probably start if he’s ready, but he’s only recently back from injury and played 90 minutes against Manchester City. Cedric Soares is the likely alternative if Arteta decides against Tierney.

Arguably, Cedric also has a shot at getting into the team at right-back. Hector Bellerin didn’t play particularly well against City and he’s started eight in a row. But we feel Arteta will select Tierney and Bellerin for this one if at all possible.

Midfield

This is another area of the pitch where individual fitness is going to play a part in the selection. Thomas Partey seems to be edging closer, but we’re expecting him to be just short to start against Benfica.

Instead, Dani Ceballos will replace Mohamed Elneny to come back in alongside Granit Xhaka. Ahead of the two of them, Martin Odegaard will probably keep his place so Emile Smith Rowe can start on the left again.

Forwards

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had a couple of off-games now, but we’re still expecting him to start.

Even though his accuracy was off in the first leg, Aubameyang still had all of Arsenal’s best chances. Arteta will surely pick the striker and expect him to hit the target this time.

Bukayo Saka has to start, ideally on the right, leaving the left side open for Emile Smith Rowe or Nicolas Pepe. Smith Rowe had a rest at the weekend, only playing a few minutes from the bench, so he’s probably the player to get the nod.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Benfica

Pepe replaces Smith Rowe: How Arsenal could line up vs Manchester City

Arsenal return to Premier League action with a match against Manchester City on Sunday, so let’s take a look at our predicted lineup.

With the Benfica Europa League tie still very much in the balance at 1-1, Arsenal have to briefly shift their focus to facing the Premier League leaders.

Manchester City are 10 points clear at the top of the table on the back of a 17-game winning streak, defeating Spurs, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal during that run. So this game is evidently no big deal.

Given the busy schedule at the moment, and the fact he’s just named the same team twice in a row, we’re expecting a few changes for this one.

Here’s our predicted Arsenal lineup to face Manchester City.

Goalkeeper

Bernd Leno will start as usual. After his run of clean sheets at the start of the year, he’s gone a couple of games without one, but you can hardly blame him given the chances he’s faced.

Mat Ryan should make the bench.

Defence

After his substitute appearance on Thursday, this would be a good time to reintroduce Kieran Tierney. Getting him up to speed ahead of a tough fixture list is key.

Rob Holding could come back in to give David Luiz a rest, but we’re predicting another start for Gabriel Magalhaes at left-centre-back. You never know, but Manchester City doesn’t seem like the best game to reintroduce Pablo Mari after injury.

Hector Bellerin will likely start at right-back. He hasn’t had a rest for a while, but neither has Cedric Soares. One of them has to play.

Midfield

We’re not expecting many changes in the middle, largely due to the lack of alternatives.

At least one of Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe have to start in the number 10 position, and Smith Rowe is probably more in need of a rest, so Odegaard will keep his spot.

Without Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny is the only real option to replace Granit Xhaka or Dani Ceballos. But Partey should be back before too long to give Ceballos a rest, and Xhaka rarely seems to need one, so we’re predicting them both to start again for now.

Forwards

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had an off game on Thursday, and whilst he’s sure to bounce back, it’s probably a good time to give him a rest and bring Alexandre Lacazette back in.

Similarly, Nicolas Pepe can offer Smith Rowe a break on the left.

We’re clearly getting into the territory of overplaying Bukayo Saka a bit, but Arsenal also just can’t afford to rotate their entire front three at once.

Taking Saka out would probably mean moving Pepe to the right (despite playing all his recent games on the left), and putting Willian or Gabriel Martinelli on the left, which is a lot of changes at once. So we’re predicting another start for Saka.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Manchester City

Midfielder recalled: How Arsenal lineup vs Leeds United

Mikel Arteta faces a number of crucial choices ahead of Arsenal’s game this weekend so how will Arsenal lineup vs Leeds United?

For the first time in a while, the Arsenal team got a proper break this week. After playing in the early kickoff against Aston Villa on Saturday, they had until the following week on Sunday to wait for their next fixture.

As a result, they’ll hopefully come back refreshed and ready to put things right. A couple of defeats on the bounce haven’t done much for confidence, but we’ll just have to hope they inspire the side to get back to winning ways ahead of the Europa League’s return.

Here’s our Arsenal predicted lineup to face Leeds United on Sunday.

Arsenal lineup vs Leeds United – Goalkeeper

After his suspension, Bernd Leno should come back into the Arsenal team. Mat Ryan did a good job against Aston Villa, and it’s a positive to have him available when Leno isn’t, but the German international remains the number one for now.

Arsenal lineup vs Leeds United – Defence

We aren’t expecting too many changes in defence. Obviously, Kieran Tierney is going to return to the team when he’s fit, but there’s no suggestion he is yet.

David Luiz is back from his suspension and might replace Gabriel Magalhaes. Pablo Mari could even come in after his recovery. But Gabriel seems to be finding form again after his shaky return from Covid.

As a result, we’re predicting the same back four as against Villa, with Cedric Soares joining Gabriel, Rob Holding, and Hector Bellerin.

Arsenal lineup vs Leeds United – Midfield

There’s no official word on the length of Thomas Partey’s injury just yet, but it looks like he’ll miss at least a game or two. The good news is that Dani Ceballos is back from injury and made the bench for the last couple of games.

Ceballos should be able to start alongside Granit Xhaka, with Emile Smith Rowe ahead of them as usual. Arteta kept picking Smith Rowe when the games were coming thick and fast, so he’ll surely stick with him for this one after a week’s break.

Arsenal lineup vs Leeds United – Forwards

Even though they blanked in the last game against Aston Villa, Nicolas Pepe, Bukayo Saka, and Alexandre Lacazette still seem like Arsenal’s most balanced front three at the moment.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang didn’t even make it to 10 touches in his half an hour against Villa. It’s not his fault, but the team is just better set up for a striker like Lacazette right now.

When Tierney returns, that’s when I’d expect Aubameyang to make it back into the starting lineup. Those two worked well together, in a way we haven’t seen from Aubameyang and Cedric.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Leeds United

Arsenal have just announced their team for the game against Aston Villa and Mat Ryan gets his first start for Arsenal:

Arsenal lineup: Ryan, Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Cedric, Xhaka, Partey, Saka, Smith Rowe, Pepe, Lacazette

Subs: Runarsson, Chambers, Mari, Elneny, Ceballos, Odegaard, Willian, Martinellie, Aubameyang

After an incredibly frustrating defeat to Wolves, let’s have a look at the Arsenal team we predict Mikel Arteta to select to bounce back against Aston Villa.

The less said about the Wolves game, the better, but it’s fair to say the Arsenal squad will be feeling a sense of injustice. They now need to channel that into motivation to get a result away at Villa Park on Saturday.

One bit of good news going into this game is that Arsenal don’t have another for over a week afterwards. The next midweek is for FA Cup fixtures, so Arteta’s squad can rest up.

As a result, we’re not predicting a huge number of changes. Obviously, there are one or two required by the red-card suspensions for Bernd Leno and David Luiz, but here’s how we think Arsenal will line up overall.

Goalkeeper

We know this is one position where Arteta has to make a change. Bernd Leno picked up a one-match ban for his handball on Tuesday, and this is that one match.

The big question is whether Mat Ryan will be fit. If he is, you’d expect him to start, given the amount of Premier League experience he has compared to Runar Alex Runarsson. Otherwise, Runarsson will be making his first league start in England.

Right now, it looks like Ryan has passed his late fitness tests. Icelandic reporter Hjörvar Hafliðason, who seemingly has links to Inaki Cana and Runar Alex Runarsson, claims Ryan will start.

Defence

It’s hard to see many changes from the back four that finished the match against Wolves on Tuesday.

If Arteta sounded pessimistic on Ryan’s fitness, he was even more so on Kieran Tierney, admitting Tierney “wasn’t close at all” to playing in midweek. As a result, Cedric Soares should start.

David Luiz is out with his suspension, and Pablo Mari is only just returning from injury, so Gabriel Magalhaes is nailed on to start at left-centre-back. Rob Holding will probably keep his place on the right, with Hector Bellerin at right-back.

Midfield

One small positive consequence of the red cards against Wolves was that a couple of players came off earlier than expected. Thomas Partey was one of them, leaving the field to make way for Runarsson. As a result, he should be able to start this one too.

Granit Xhaka will surely start alongside him, as the pair are forming a good partnership at the base of Arsenal’s midfield.

It’s hard to call who will get the nod in front of them. For the time being, Arteta seems to be keen to continue giving Emile Smith Rowe chances if at all possible. Tuesday seemed like a chance to rotate with Martin Odegaard, but it didn’t happen.

After Smith Rowe was forced to complete the full 90 against Wolves for a team with nine men, after his recent injury problems, surely this time he has to rest.

Forwards

Like Partey, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe came off early against Wolves, with Lacazette making way for Gabriel at half-time and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replacing Pepe.

You’d think that would mean both are available to start against Villa. It seems like Pepe is also a better fit than the alternatives on the left while Arsenal are playing a right-footed left-back, as they are at the moment.

Bukayo Saka has to start on the right, as he remains one of Arsenal’s main threats in attack. He was unlucky not to get a single goal from his explosive start on Tuesday.

That means Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Willian, and Gabriel Martinelli on the bench.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Aston Villa

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