Arsenal will look to recover from a narrow defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup as they lock horns with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. The Gunners are coming into this clash on the back of a three-game winless streak in domestic competitions, and a victory could be imperative as Unai Emery looks to save his job.
Here is how the north London might line-up against the Wolves at the Emirates Stadium this weekend.
Formation: 4-4-2
Defence
Emery made wholesale changes to his starting lineup against Liverpool in midweek. He is expected to revert those changes, starting with Bernd Leno, who will return in goal at the expense of Emiliano Martinez.
Hector Bellerin is still unlikely to be risked in the Premier League, especially after a strenuous game against Liverpool. He will once again make way for Calum Chambers. Kieran Tierney is expected to return as well, after making his Premier League debut last weekend against Crystal Palace.
The defensive solidity of the duo of Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding is finally starting to crack. Hence, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and David Luiz are destined to return at the heart of Arsenal’s four-man backline this weekend. They will need to be sharp, however, against a Wolves attack, who can provide a great deal of threat on the counter.
Midfield
It would be interesting to see Emery’s team selection in central midfield this weekend. Usually, Granit Xhaka would have been a guaranteed starter. But after last weekend’s incident, when the Arsenal captain was booed by fans, and he responded impulsively, it remains a doubt whether or not he would feature in this game.
Therefore, it won’t be surprising if Emery deploys a 4-4-2 formation with Matteo Guendouzi and Dani Ceballos forming the double-pivot in midfield. Lucas Torreira is also an option if the Spaniard opts for more intensity in the middle.
Attack
Mesut Ozil started in Arsenal’s defeat to Liverpool in midweek. We can, therefore, expect the German at least on the bench this weekend. As for Nicolas Pepe, he will return to the side and will operate on the right flank. Reiss Nelson is still out injured, meaning Bukayo Saka might once again receive a starting berth, on the opposite flank.
And finally, the Arsenal attack will be led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. These two will be looking to rekindle their scoring form, which will help their team get back to winning ways.
