Arsenal are due to host Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday and the Gunner would be aiming to bag all three points. The Potters are really struggling and are very much in the relegation battle and it would be an uphill task for Paul Lambert & Co. to keep Arsenal at bay.
Team News
Jack Wilshere and Sead Kolasinac are back in the squad after their respective knee and ankle problems. Alexandre Lacazette has trained for a week and he might feature at some point in time in the upcoming fixture. However, Santi Cazorla remains a long-term absentee owing to his Achilles injury.
Here is how we expect Arsenal Wenger to roll out his starting line-up to thwart Stoke City.
Goalkeeper
Petr Cech is expected to be stationed under the bar once again. The former Chelsea custodian has been inconsistent at times this season but there is no denying that Wenger has a lot of trust in him.
Defence
The central defensive pairing of Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny is expected to start at the heart of the defence of the north London based outfit. While Koscielny is a genuine leader at the back and a huge asset for the club, Mustafi has been living up to the expectations lately.
Nacho Monreal offers a lot of attacking prowess down the left and he is set to start from the left-back. Although Wenger also has Sead Kolasinac in his arsenal, Monreal might get the nod ahead of the former Schalke fullback. From the right-back slot, Hector Bellerin is expected to start once again.
Midfield
Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey are set to operate from the central midfield. The duo needs to churn a strong camaraderie amongst themselves to make an impact in the game. Both of them are more than capable of galloping forward to score goals and create chances and they must try to dictate the tempo of the game from the middle of the park.
Mesut Ozil’s creativity needs no mention and there is hardly any doubt that the German maestro is exceptionally productive when he operates from the no. 10 role. Ozil is anticipated to be handed the aforesaid position to breach Lambert’s back line.
Attack
Up front, January transfer window signing, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is expected to start. The former Borussia Dortmund striker is adjusting to the Premier League and would be keen to up his tally of goals.
Meanwhile, Wenger has been persistent with Alex Iwobi and the youngster could operate from the left-wing whereas, from the right-wing, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is expected to start.
