After the poor opening-day defeat to Brentford, Arsenal don’t have the simplest of tasks in bouncing back. In their next couple of league games, they’ll face Chelsea and Manchester City. Manager Mikel Arteta is undoubtedly going to pick the best team available to him for this match against their London rivals. However, there are a few injuries and potential illness issues that will force his hands in some areas. Here’s the Arsenal predicted line-up to face Chelsea.
3-4-3 Predicted Arsenal Line Up To Face Chelsea
Defence
German Bernd Leno will start between the sticks as the No. 1. Arsenal simply don’t have any other viable option in that department. New signing Aaron Ramsdale is not an option for this game.
Kieran Tierney will start at the left-hand side of the back three and will look to continue his fine form. Ben White will be looking for a positive result in an Arsenal shirt on the right-hand side of the defence. As Gabriel Magalhaes continues to struggle with his injuries, Pablo Mari’s spot in the middle of the defence isn’t under any threat. The Spaniard will be hoping that his partners in defence will cover up on his lack of pace in case Arsenal are hit on the counter.
Midfield
Captain Granit Xhaka will start at the middle of the park with Albert Sambi Lokonga. Still relatively young and inexperienced, the Belgian will be hoping for a better performance this time around.
Summer signing Nuno Tavares might get the nod at the left side of the midfield. He will look to cover for Tierney and provide additional attacking threats going forward. Calum Chambers had a horrible game last time out but looks set to start against the Blues as well. He will slot in at the right side of midfield with a similar job to Tavares.
The situation only emphasises the need for Arsenal to get Thomas Partey fit again and make at least one midfield signing before the transfer window closes. But for this match, they’ll have to work with what they have.
Attack
Bukayo Saka looked bright in the latter stages of the game against Brentford, and he’s now likely in a much better position to start matches again, having had a few weeks to build his fitness. He will probably feature at the right side of the attack and will look to link up with Chambers.
Emile Smith Rowe started the match against Brentford in the number 10 position. He will probably be deployed on the left side of the attack where he is more natural.
It will be very interesting to see who ends up in the centre-forward position. Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are still doubts with their illnesses. Nicola Pepe might be given the role to lead the Gunners frontline while Folarin Balogun and Gabriel Martinelli will look to impact the match from the bench.
