Arsenal are facing disappointment in the Premier League this season and have already lost three matches so far. Their third defeat came in their last match against Watford, with Tom Cleverly scoring the winner right before the final whistle.
The Gunners, however, performed well so far in the Europa League and have won both their matches. They are aiming for the supreme prize and will look to win the third match on a trot, uplifting their spirits after a demoralizing weekend in the Premier League.
The reigning FA Cup champions will have a tough opponent to deal with when they take on Red Star Belgrade this week in the Europa League. They will look to continue their winning run but the Serbian outfit might prove to be a tough nut to crack.
This is how Wenger might field his troops for this tie:
Defence
Arsenal missed their captain and French ace Laurent Koscielny at the heart of their defence in their last match against the Hornets due to a minor injury. Though fit enough to start, he is suspended for this game. Per Mertesacker, along with the pair of young defenders Calum Chambers and Rob Holding, are expected to start the proceedings for the North London club when they travel to Belgrade.
David Ospina is set to replace the first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech beneath the crossbars for this match.
Midfield
Egyptian enforcer Mohamed Elneny is set to feature in the starting eleven alongside young products Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
They will pair up with Jack Wilshere in the middle of the pitch against the Serbian side and will fight for the ball and look to retain as much possession as possible. Aaron Ramsey is fit to start but could be kept out of contention.
Attack
The likes of Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi are expected to start for the Gunners in the attack, with Olivier Giroud set to spearhead them. The onus will be on them to make things happen and clinch another three points, which will help them go into the return fixtures with a considerable amount of ease.
Danny Welbeck suffered an injury during the match against Watford and will not feature. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are both fit but might not be in the first team, with a long Premier League season ahead of them.
Predicted Lineup
Ospina, Holding, Mertesacker, Chambers, Elneny, Wilshere, Maitland-Niles, Nelson, Iwobi, Walcott, Giroud.
