Wenger must give these 3 Arsenal players a chance against Basel

Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

Arsenal host FC Basel in the Champions League on Wednesday night, looking to build upon a solid 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain in their first group game two weeks ago.

Arsene Wenger’s side are coming in off the back of an impressive 3-0 victory over Chelsea on Saturday, a result which moved them up to third place in the Premier League.

The Gunners are unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions, stretching back to that thrilling 4-3 defeat to Liverpool on the opening weekend, and confidence will be high as they look to stamp their authority on Group A.

The North London side will definitely be without midfielder Francis Coquelin after he injured his knee in the win over Chelsea, and the suspended Olivier Giroud following his red card against PSG.

Therefore, there may be some places up for grabs for those that haven’t featured as much as they would have liked so far this season, and here are THREE players who should be given a chance against the Swiss side on Wednesday night…


David Ospina

Photo: Charlotte Wilson / Offside

The 28-year-old has not featured at all in the Gunners goal since his surprise inclusion against PSG, but his performance against the French champions should not go unnoticed, and should earn him the opportunity to play on Wednesday night.

The Colombian shot-stopper was in impressive form that night, making countless saves to thwart a PSG attack that often got the better of the Arsenal backline.

Petr Cech’s form in the Premier League has been good but, arguably, Ospina’s heroics preserved a point for Wenger’s side in Paris a few weeks ago and, as a result, he should be given the nod against Basel.

 Lucas Perez

Perez has only featured twice in the Premier League since his big money move from Valencia at the end of the summer transfer window.

However, he was given the opportunity against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup last week, and manager Wenger was impressed with his performance as he bagged a brace in a comfortable 4-0 win.

Although the French boss may find it tough to change a winning team, especially given the manner of their win over Chelsea, Perez may warrant an opportunity to see how he gets on against European opposition.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Although Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi are playing particularly well in the Premier League, the former having netted in successive games, Wenger may want to give Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain another chance to prove his worth to the Gunners.

The 23-year-old hasn’t quite produced the form that we saw a few years ago for both Arsenal and England, but he did start the season pretty well, netting in the defeat to Liverpool.

Since then, he’s been hauled off after an hour against both Southampton and PSG, and hasn’t appeared in their last two league games.

However, he did start the match against PSG, so Wenger clearly believes in his ability on the big stage, and may warrant another chance on Wednesday.

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