Arsenal will be desperate to stay in the hunt for Europa League places when they take on Everton on Friday. What changes will Mikel Arteta be making to the starting line-up for this game?
It has been a tumultuous last week for the North London club who began it with a draw against Fulham. Now, following their withdrawal from the proposed new competition, they can get back to focusing on the Premier League where there’s still plenty at stake.
The hosts struggled to exert their dominance against Fulham last week and they will have to do better to get the three points this time around. And one man who could prevent that from happening is Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The English forward is excellent in the air and that will surely cause problems for the home defence. But if Arteta’s men can be alert at the back, it greatly improves their chances of winning the game.
We will be seeing the Gunners start in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bernd Leno returning in goal. The defence is likely to remain the same given how balanced it has looked over the past few games. Hector Bellerin and Granit Xhaka will start as the full backs with Rob Holding and Gabriel holding the fort at centre back.
Thomas Partey should make his return and will partner up with Dani Ceballos. The duo will have the important job of keeping the Gunners ticking along while also preventing James Rodriguez from imposing himself as that could spell trouble for the hosts.
Nicolas Pepe will be back on the left as his pace and trickery can cause real problems for Seamus Coleman. The Ivorian will be along with Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka. These three will be the ones who can create chances as they complement each other very well.
Gabriel Martinelli will play as the centre forward for Arsenal given that both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are still unavailable. The Brazilian offers a dynamism that will be quite a threat for the Everton defence. Carlo Ancelotti will set up his team to be solid but Arteta should be getting one over his former club.
Arsenal Predicted Line-up against Everton (4-2-3-1):
Bernd Leno, Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding, Gabriel, Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Dani Ceballos, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, Nicolas Pepe, Gabriel Martinelli
