Arsenal will be aiming to return to winning ways when they face Everton at Goodison Park on Monday.
The Gunners suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat against Manchester United on the road in midweek. They put in a good attacking performance, but made defensive errors that proved costly in the end.
The north London club will be aiming to make amends with a victory over the Toffees. It won’t be a straightforward task, having failed to win in their previous three away meetings.
Here is how they could line up against Rafael Benitez’s side.
Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale has been sublime in goal for the Gunners in his debut season, but he could not save their blushes in midweek. He will be keen to redeem himself with his seventh clean sheet of the Premier League campaign.
Defence: Mikel Arteta did not opt for any changes in defence after the 4-0 humbling at the hands of Liverpool last month. He could make a similar decision on Monday. Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes are definite starters at the heart of Arsenal’s backline.
Takehiro Tomiyasu was outsmarted by Jadon Sancho on a few occasions on Thursday, but still produced a solid display. He made a vital last-ditch interception to deny Bruno Fernandes from making it 4-2. Nuno Tavares was caught out of possession for United’s second goal, but it had more to do with Emile Smith Rowe’s poor pass. The Portuguese is likely to continue at left-back over Kieran Tierney.
Midfield: Thomas Partey was poor against United, losing possession on multiple occasions. The Ghanaian could have also done better to track Cristiano Ronaldo’s run for United’s second goal. Despite this, he remains the most high-profile midfielder in the Arsenal ranks, and should make the starting XI.
Mohamed Elneny was handed a surprise start on Thursday after his impressive showing at Old Trafford last year. He managed to outperform Partey, but could still be dropped with Albert Sambi Lokonga likely to be reintroduced to the starting line-up. The 22-year-old had an impressive showing against Newcastle United, but was surprisingly dropped for the midweek trip.
Gabriel Martinelli delivered a fine assist for Arsenal’s equaliser (2-2) at United, but he could be benched with Bukayo Saka likely to return on the right side of midfield. Emile Smith Rowe should feature on the opposite end after finding the back of the net in midweek, though controversially.
Attack: Martin Odegaard was one of the better performing players at Old Trafford. He scored a lovely goal on the counter-attack, but turned villain soon after, conceding United’s winning penalty. The Norwegian should be handed a chance to make amends.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s form has been poor over for Arsenal the past few games. There have been calls for him to be dropped with Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah and Martinelli potential options to replace him. However, it won’t be a surprise if Arteta backs the club captain.
Arsenal line-up (4-4-1-1) vs Everton
