Arsenal are in Ireland to take on Dundalk in their final Europa League group game this evening [5.55pm kick-off].
With qualification to the knockout stages of the competition already in the bag, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has left several of his big guns at home to rest ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Burnley.
Bernd Leno gets a rest so Alex Runarsson starts in goal while Calum Chambers starts his first game since recovering from a serious knee injury. Shkodran Mustafi and Pablo Mari are also recalled in defence along with Cedric Soares with Hector Bellerin, Gabriel and Kieran Tierney all rested. Rob Holding is named on the Arsenal bench but Sead Kolasinac misses out after picking up a knock in training.
Granit Xhaka hasn’t made the trip so Mohamed Elneny starts in midfield while Ainsley Maitland-Niles gets another chance to impress with Dani Ceballos among the substitutes. Joe Willock is recalled to start for Arsenal while Emile Smith Rowe also makes his first start of the season.
Nicolas Pepe starts in attack as he’ll be suspended for the Premier League game with Burnley at the weekend so Bukayo Saka is named as a substitute this evening. Eddie Nketiah leads the line up front with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette left back in north London.
Arsenal have named just eight players on the bench but Folarin Balogun will be hoping to feature at some point while Miguel Azeez is another youngster who should get a run out this evening.
Here are the confirmed line-ups:
Dundalk
Rogers; Hoare, Boyle, Cleary; Gannon, Shields, Flores, Leahy; McEleney, Duffy; McMillan
Subs: McCarey, Corcoran, Gartland, Moutney, Sloggett, Colovic, Dummigan, Wynne, Kelly
Arsenal
Runarsson; Chambers, Mustafi, Mari, Cedric; Elneny, Maitland-Niles; Pepe, Willock, Smith Rowe; Nketiah
Subs: Macey, Hein, Saka, Ceballos, Holding, Balogun, Cottrell, Azeez.
