Arsenal return to Premier League action as they take on relegation battlers Wolves at Molineux on Saturday. Mikel Arteta is expected to make some changes to keep his players as fresh as possible amid a crunch fixture list. Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri are expected to start in the attacking third.
During his pre-match press conference, Arteta was in a disgruntled mood following constant questions about transfers this month. However, the Gunners boss also updated on some of the recent injury concerns while ruling out an immediate return for Ben White.
William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly have had some fitness issues, with Arteta even suggesting the latter had to undergo scans to determine the extent of a knee injury. However, the Spaniard allayed any fears about the duo and insisted their problems were not serious while declaring the possibility of returning soon.
Arteta said, “With Myles there is nothing serious on the scan, so it’ll be a matter of having a meeting with the medical staff today. We have a training session, so we’ll see whether it’s too early or not and with Willo it’s something similar as well. I think he’ll be in for next week but this week, let’s see how it goes.”
Meanwhile, Arteta was also asked how his teams have changed since the opening day of the Premier League when they faced Wolves.
Arteta continued, “I think we are a much better side than since the start of the season, in every sense because we have evolved a lot as a team. We’ve had some very important experiences and the way we have competed throughout the last six or seven months with everything that has happened, it’s outstanding I think.”
Arteta is expected to make some selection to keep his players fit. Earlier this week, he started with Jakub Kiwior at the heart of the defence and used Jurrien Timber at right-back. He could revert to the settings from last weekend as Thomas Partey could return in the right-back spot, while Timber slots in Saliba’s central position.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Oleksandr Zinchenko could continue in the backline. The midfield might remain unchanged from the Aston Villa clash, with Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Mikel Merino taking their spots. In the attack, Arteta might make tweaks, as he now has Ethan Nwaneri available, which does give him a big boost as the squad lacks attacking depth due to injuries.
Nwaneri would slot straight into the right wing role, while Kai Havertz keeps his place in the side as Arsenal do not have a recognised striker in their ranks at the moment. Leandro Trossard might come in to replace the impressive Gabriel Martinelli, as this might be a decision designed to keep players fresh rather than being dropped for their form.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Partey, Timber, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Nwaneri, Havertz, Trossard
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