Arsenal
Ozil & Koscielny Out, Holding Starts: Predicted Arsenal Starting XI vs Liverpool
Arsenal will kick of their campaign by welcoming Liverpool to the Emirates on Sunday. Here is the side we think Arsene Wenger will select for the game:
Premier League football returns this weekend and Arsenal will kick of their campaign by welcoming Liverpool to the Emirates on Sunday afternoon. Here is the side Gooner Mac thinks Arsene Wenger will select for the game:
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech returned from an eye infection to start against Manchester City last weekend so I fully expect the Czech star to keep his place in goal.
Defence: Per Mertesacker is set to miss the next four months with a knee injury and has been joined on the sidelines by Gabriel with the Brazilian ruled out for up to eight weeks with an ankle injury.
Wenger has confirmed that Laurent Koscielny isn’t fit to feature on Sunday after only starting his pre-season preparations earlier this week so youngster Rob Holding is in-line to make his Premier League debut.
Arsene has hinted that he’ll be forced to field an inexperienced central defensive partnership so I think it will be Calum Chambers alongside Holding with Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin occupying the full-back positions.
Midfield: Big-money summer signing Granit Xhaka is set to get his first taste of Premier League football but Jack Wilshere has been ruled out after missing the last three games of pre-season with a knee injury.
CHECK OUT THE LIVERPOOL PREDICTED XI HERE
Wenger has suggested that Santi Cazorla is also not 100% fit yet so Mohamed Elneny could start alongside Xhaka in the middle of the park this weekend.
Attack: Mesut Ozil isn’t under consideration due to a lack of fitness so Aaron Ramsey is expected to be deployed in a more advanced role while Alex Iwobi may have played himself in to the starting eleven with some fine pre-season performances.
It’s going to be interesting to see who Wenger goes with on the right but if he opts to play Alexis Sanchez through the middle in the absence of Olivier Giroud, then I can see Theo Walcott playing ahead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as it means he can alternate with Sanchez up front.
Danny Welbeck remains out for the foreseeable future with a serious knee injury that he sustained towards the end of last season.
Here is how I think we’ll see Arsenal line-up:
BACK ARSENAL TO WIN AT 8/1 OR LIVERPOOL AT 12/1
What do you think? What line-up would you like to see start?
