After 10 days without a game and two match postponements, Arsenal are back in action when they take on Brentford tomorrow afternoon (Sunday).
despite suffering a 3-1 loss at the hands of manchester united in their last premier league outing nearly a fortnight ago, there is still a positive mood surrounding the gunners at the moment and it is completely justified with six wins in seven games. in all competitions at the start of the new season.
and the incentive for arsenal ahead of meeting brentford is that another win will ensure they enter the first international break of the season leading the way at the top of the table regardless of how manchester city and tottenham fare during the weekend. .
read more: every word mikel arteta said about ben white, zinchenko’s fitness and smith rowe’s injury
but as the north london team knows, winning at the brentford community stadium is easier said than done and their task could be even more difficult if oleksandr zinchenko misses out through injury, according to the national team from Ukraine. .
however, the good news is that mikel arteta could welcome back thomas partey after four games on the sidelines and this could leave the gunners coach facing a selection headache when it comes to naming his lineup.
That said, football.london arsenal writers kaya kaynak, tom canton tashan deniran-alleyne, bailey keogh and chris davison are available to step into the line of fire and offer their help to arteta for providing his opinion on who should start for visitors in west london.
kaya kaynak – armory writer
The strength in depth of Arsenal in the back is so strong that I think it’s worth making some changes. Mikel Arteta was strangely coy about Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White’s chances of making it on Sunday, but the fact that Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are his backup means he wouldn’t risk anything.
add in the fact that tomiyasu is excellent in the air against a striker like ivan toney and that makes even more sense.
in midfield i would again take a cautious approach when it comes to the fitness of a player like thomas partey. that means albert sambi lokonga would be my pick out of the six with granit xhaka playing a more retiring role alongside him. Martin Odegaard would give Fabio Vieira the go-ahead, although the Portuguese Under-21 international is now an option off the bench.
up front, emile smith rowe’s injury means gabriel martinelli would start for me again, and although marquinhos was good on his debut, I still wouldn’t change a thing about the three forwards who have started every game of the premier league this season. .
kaynak’s arsenal xi v. brentford: ramsdale; tomiyasu, saliba, gabriel, tierney; sambi lokonga, xhaka, odegaard; saka, jesus, martinelli
tom canton: the arsenal way writer
the blessing of mikel arteta’s press conference is knowing that ben white will be fit for the game. The England international has been solid for the strikers at right-back so far this season and his presence against the Brentford attackers will be key.
The team, with the players that are available, is chosen only by me. The possible return of Thomas Partey, who is now fully integrated into first-team training, is a significant boost to the Arteta side’s quality output.
sambi lokonga had supplied well against aston villa; however, he was exposed on the trip to manchester united. bukayo saka needs to follow up on targeting him in the northwest with another one here to get some momentum, especially with the exciting marquinhos potentially showing he could push his teammate into position.
after being left out of the brazil team, gabriel martinelli and gabriel jesús must now continue their strong push to be part of tite’s plans for the tournament. an incentive that will hopefully push them to produce their best performances of the season so far.
canton’s arsenal xi vs brentford: ramsdale; white, saliba, gabriel, tierney; partey, xhaka, odegaard; saka, martinelli, jesus
tashan deniran-alleyne – arsenal writer
mikel arteta was not revealing anything in his pre-match press conference regarding team news but only came out of the ukrainian national team tweet about why oleksandr zinchenko will not appear in their upcoming games which suggests he won’t be available for the arsenal on Sunday.
not that it’s a big deal as kieran tierney is more than a capable backup and the news that ben white is fit means there needn’t be any big changes to the defense and i’m inclined to resist the urge to deliver takehiro tomiyasu a start at right back.
The big decision is at the base of the midfield. Not to belittle Albert Sambi Lokonga whose strengths and weaknesses were on display at Old Trafford, but the Gunners are a totally different perspective with Thomas Partey at the side and he should start if he passes fit.
On offense, I don’t see any reason to mix things up. gabriel jesus and gabriel martinelli are unbeatable for me at the moment and despite marquinhos impressive performance on his debut against fc zurich, it will take much more to displace bukayo saka who is showing signs of returning to his best.
the armory xi deniran-alleyne v. brentford: ramsdale; white, saliba, gabriel, tierney; partey, odegaard, xhaka; saka, g. jesus, martinelli
bailey keogh – the arsenal way writer
after a long break in the premier league for the gunners, it is important that arteta field a strong team to regain momentum after the 3-1 loss to manchester united in the last game. that means that the Spaniard will have to take risks.
due to the injuries suffered by white and zinchenko, the defense chooses itself with the entry of tomiyasu and tierney to replace the full-backs. meanwhile, saliba and gabriel maintain their defensive partner.
with partey back in full training, arteta must start it to anchor the midfield with xhaka and odegaard on both sides. it can be a risk to start immediately, but his influence on the team is too important not to have him early on in a tough away game.
Top scorer gabriel jesus should lead the arsenal line with gabriel martinelli and bukayo saka supporting him from the wing positions, giving the strikers the necessary directness in wide areas.
keogh’s arsenal xi vs. brentford: ramsdale; tomiyasu, saliba, gabriel, tierney; partey, xhaka, odegaard; martinelli, saka, jesus
chris davidon: the arsenal way writer
As is always the case when it comes to selecting my preferred starting eleven, I’m a big believer in keeping it the same when things are going well. the only obvious changes come at left back and midfield.
With the news that oleksandr zinchenko could be out for two weeks, it’s reassuring to know we have a solid option in the form of kieran tierney to provide cover in the meantime. i thought the scotsman was immense against fc zurich and will no doubt be looking to put on similar performances while he gets the chance.
meanwhile, the return of thomas partey is a much-needed boost. his presence has been greatly missed in recent weeks and, although i think sambi lokonga was slowly finding his place, the difference in quality and reliability is clear. Whether partey is fit enough to start tomorrow remains to be seen, but I’d throw him right into the mix if he is.
the rest of the team chooses itself. i think ben white deserves to keep his place at right back despite rumors of injury, while william saliba and gabriel magalhaes offer plenty of solidity in the heart of defence. In front-row terms, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli will be keen to set things right after lacking that killer instinct in front of goal at Old Trafford. when everyone is on the same page, they are unstoppable.
davison arsenal xi v. brentford: ramsdale; white, saliba, gabriel, tierney; xhaka, partey, odegaard; saka, g.jesus, martinelli
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