The 2020/21 campaign in England gets underway on Saturday as FA Cup winners Arsenal take on Premier League champions Liverpool in the FA Community Shield. It is going to be an interesting encounter as both the teams look to get their new campaign started on a positive note, with the Gunners, in particular, set to usher in a new era under Mikel Arteta.
Predicted 3-4-3 Arsenal Lineup Vs Liverpool
Defence
Desperate to register yet another title to his name, Arteta may look to find his strongest possible eleven against Liverpool this weekend. Unfortunately, the Spaniard is still missing out on the services of Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers in defence along with Shkodran Mustafi.
We may still see a 3-4-3 formation, however, with David Luiz starting at the heart of Arsenal’s three-man backline. The Brazilian is likely to be partnered by Rob Holding and William Saliba, who is tipped to make his first appearance for the club after returning from his loan spell at St. Etienne this summer.
It will be interesting to see how Saliba manages to support Luiz with his technical brilliance. But in goal, we should expect Emiliano Martinez starting ahead of Bernd Leno, who, though available, has played very little football, of late.
Midfield
Arteta faces a selection crisis in the midfield department, with Dani Ceballos returning to Real Madrid. Also, both Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira are likely to leave the club, meaning they might not feature this weekend as well, leaving Granit Xhaka as the only guaranteed option.
The Swiss international, therefore, may have to play alongside Joe Willock, with Mesut Ozil also unlikely to return to the pitch. Arteta does, however, have the option of deploying Emile Smith Rowe and Mohamed Elneny, who had scored in the friendly against MK Dons.
Elsewhere, both Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin are more than expected to feature in the wing-back slots. The likes of Cedric Soares, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Bukayo Saka are also pushing for a start, though.
Attack
Finally, in the attack, we expect Pierre-Emerick Aubamyang to lead the charge, with Alexandre Lacazette likely to settle for a place on the bench. Arteta does have Eddie Nketiah as a further alternative.
Nicolas Pepe, meanwhile, is a favourite on the right-wing, ahead of Reiss Nelson, while Bukayo Saka should start on the opposite flank. Meanwhile, new signing Willian, who is in contention to start this weekend, might be introduced as a second-half substitute against Liverpool.
