Arsenal’s Predicted XI: We predict Mikel Arteta’s starting XI as the Gunners face an away trip to Brighton & Hove Albion
Arteta wants to add to his Arsenal squad in the summer.
Arsenal play their second game in a matter of days, as they face off against Brighton & Hove Albion on the South Coast.
Mikel Arteta’s side play just three days after making a poor return to football losing 3-0 away to Premier League champions Manchester City.
Gunners’ fans will be desperate to kick-start some winning form as they desperately try to get back towards the Champions League places.
Before lockdown, the North London outfit were showing signing of improvement, but were still very inconsistent in terms of performances and results.
So which players will be tasked with the challenge of picking up a vital three points? Here we predict Arteta’s XI…
Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno is Arsenal’s number 1 and will maintain his record of having played in every Premier League match for the Gunners this season. The German was Arsenal’s shining light during their midweek defeat.
Defenders: Arteta started the game against City with Shkodran Mustafi and Pablo Mari as his centre backs. The pair were playing well before Mari had to go off injured. David Luiz put in a shocking performance off the bench which lead to a red card. If Mari recovers, Arteta will want to name the same starting back four with Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney.
Midfielders: Once again injury woes cost Arsenal dear, with Granit Xhaka having to vacate the field after just eight minutes midweek. Arteta does have many midfield options though, Matteo Guendouzi is a definite starter and we think Dani Ceballos will start in the midfield three with Mesut Ozil playing an advanced role.
Forwards: Eddie Nkeitah ran and ran on Wednesday night with little to no service, but we feel Arteta might bring in France interantional Alexandre Lacazette for this one. That leaves Bukayo Saka on the right, with club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang deployed on the left.
Predicted XI: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Pablo Mari, Tierney; Guendouzi, Ceballos, Ozil; Saka, Aubameyang, Lacazette.