Pundit Adrian Clarke was discussing this weekend’s huge match on the Handbrake Off Podcast.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has plenty of think about ahead of arguably their biggest game of the season so far.
His team for the North London derby essentially picked itself, with the only real surprise being Fabio Vieira’s inclusion over Kai Havertz.
On Sunday however, he has several dilemmas facing him, including one that’s never cropped up before during his time at Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka limped off in the first half against Lens after struggling through 76 minutes against Bournemouth.
It would be a surprise to see Saka start for Arsenal on Sunday and so Gabriel Jesus could be the man to take his place.
The ‘special’ forward has plenty of experience playing across the front line during his time with Sunday’s opponents.
It all comes down to who Arteta wants to play as a centre-forward and whether Thomas Partey is fit to start.
Jesus backed to replace Arsenal star Saka
Speaking about the conundrum Arteta faces, Clarke said: “The thing with Eddie [Nketiah] is that he didn’t give the ball away once vs. Bournemouth.“He’s holding the ball up better than he’s ever held the ball. The same you could say against Brentford, he looked after it really, really well.
“So, there is a strong case for Eddie to play there. I do think that [Gabriel] Jesus will end up on the wing if [Bukayo] Saka doesn’t make it.
“Him and [Leandro] Trossard will flank one of Kai [Havertz] or Eddie [Nketiah].”
Arteta has several options available to him going into Sunday’s match.
Partey’s appearance in training and on the bench on Tuesday means he could partner Declan Rice in midfield.
That would free up Kai Havertz to potentially play up top, allowed Jesus to replace Saka on the right for Arsenal.
Arteta could also drop Havertz altogether and then it’s a case of which rotation option he wants to use instead.
If it’s Eddie Nketiah, then Jesus shifts out wide, but if Reiss Nelson or Emile Smith Rowe are preferred then the Brazilian can start through the middle.
Arteta is in a fortunate position to have all of these options, but it’s not an easy decision to choose between them
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