Arsenal will be aiming to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they meet Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday. The Gunners are winless in their previous three league games as they are coming on the back of a narrow 2-1 triumph against Bournemouth in the FA Cup. And a win could be critical as they look to move up the league table.
Here is how Mikel Arteta’s men could line up against the Clarets this weekend.
Predicted 4-2-3-1 Arsenal Lineup To Face Burnley
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Arteta will be facing a host of injury problems in defence, with Calum Chambers and Kieran Tierney being joined by Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac in the treatment table. That means the Spaniard will once again be forced to deploy Bukayo Saka at left-back, although the youngster has scored in the win against Bournemouth.
Hector Bellerin, meanwhile, could retain his role at right-back, after being surprisingly given the nod ahead of Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the last game. His contribution in defence could be crucial as Arsenal look to return to winning ways.
In central defence, Arteta will be boosted by the return of David Luiz, who returns from suspension. The Brazilian is expected to replace the injured Mustafi at the heart of Arsenal’s four-man backline, alongside Sokratis Papastathopoulos. However, new signing Pablo Mari is also in contention to start, though he is likely to remain on the bench for this one.
And finally, in goal, there is no one replacing Bernd Leno.
Midfield
Arteta is expected to deploy the usual double pivot of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, who could return to the side, at the expense of Matteo Guendouzi. These two will sit at the base of Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1, and it will be interesting to see how they cope with the likes of Jack Cork and Ashley Westwood.
A little further forward, Joe Willock might have to make way for Mesut Ozil despite starring in midweek’s win over Bournemouth. Ozil will operate as the lone attacking midfielder.
Attack
In attack, Arteta will be boosted by the return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. His return to the starting eleven, however, could come at the expense of Gabriel Martinelli. However, we do expect the Brazilian to feature as a substitute relatively early in the game.
With Aubameyang starting at left-wing, the opposite flank is set to be occupied by Nicolas Pepe, who has become a regular starter for the Gunners this year. And finally, the Arsenal team will once again be led by Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman clearly needs to up his game, especially with Auba returning and Martinelli also pushing for a place in the first-team.
