Arsenal will lock horns with Leicester City on Wednesday, in the third round of the Carabao Cup. The Gunners are one of the most in-form teams in England at the moment, securing back to back wins over Fulham and West Ham in the Premier League. But, they could face a tricky test against a Leicester City side, who have a lot of quality in their ranks.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup Vs Leicester City
Defence
There could be chops and changes by Mikel Arteta in this fixture, with the Spaniard having one eye on the important Premier League fixture against Liverpool on Monday.
Kieran Tierney picked up a slight knock in training, just before the West Ham game. The blow isn’t serious, but the Scot is more than likely to be rested this midweek. The same can be said for Gabriel Magalhaes, with Rob Holding likely to be the only centre-back retaining his place in the side.
David Luiz made his return from injury in the last game, featuring as a late substitute. He should replace Gabriel at the heart of the three-man backline while William Saliba might finally make his Arsenal debut after failing to feature in any of the last two matches.
In goal, Arsenal are yet to sign a replacement for Emiliano Martinez, so we expect Bernd Leno to retain his place in between the sticks.
Midfield
Mohamed Elneny is pushing for a start following good performances against Fulham and Liverpool (in the Community Shield). He might come into the starting eleven at the expense of Granit Xhaka, with Arteta still unlikely to utilise any of Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira or even Mesut Ozil.
Dani Ceballos had an excellent game against West Ham on the weekend and is a guaranteed starter alongside Elneny in the double-pivot.
Elsewhere, Cedric Soares is an obvious pick in the right wingback slot, replacing Hector Bellerin while Ainsley Maitland-Niles is tipped to swap Bukayo Saka on the opposite flank.
Attack
Changes are expected in attack as well, with Arteta likely to bench two of his star players in Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Even Willian could make way, allowing Nicolas Pepe to start at right-wing, with Saka occupying the opposite flank. Gabriel Martinelli, meanwhile, is still out on the sidelines while Reiss Nelson may once again struggle to get into the starting eleven.
The Arsenal attack will be spearheaded by Eddie Nketiah, who scored the late winner against West Ham on the weekend.
