Arsenal will be aiming to continue their perfect start to the Premier League season when they entertain Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Gunners have won their first four games of the new league campaign, but they were made to work hard against Fulham. The club had to come from behind to register a 2-1 victory.
Ahead of the Villa game, Arsenal have suffered a double blow with Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey ruled out with injuries, as per football.london, but Oleksandr Zinchenko could return.
The Ukraine international was left out of the matchday squad against the Cottagers as a precautionary measure, but looks on course to make his comeback, provided he passes a late fitness test.
Here is how Arsenal could line up against Villa:
Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale is an undisputed figure in goal for Arsenal and he will be aiming for a third clean sheet of the Premier League campaign. The England international has the chance to end the club’s seven-match streak at home without a shut-out.
Defence: The central defence should remain as it is. Both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have had one lapse of concentration this season, but have been terrific as a pairing otherwise. They should start alongside each other for the fifth game running.
Zinchenko could return straight to the starting XI ahead of Kieran Tierney at left-back. The 25-year-old has been superb in his early Gunners career, generally taking up a midfield position when the club have been on the attack.
At right-back, we could see a first start of the season for Takehiro Tomiyasu. Ben White has done a sublime job from the role, but the England international could slot in the holding midfield role amid injuries to Partey and Elneny.
Midfield: With setbacks for Partey and Elneny, manager Mikel Arteta has a potential selection headache. Albert Sambi Lokonga is a specialist back-up midfielder in the squad, but he has tended to be inconsistent from the number six role.
Throughout pre-season, we saw the Belgian operate in a more advanced position. Hence, we are backing White to accompany Granit Xhaka. White has previously played in midfield for Brighton and should provide more assurance in our view.
Attack: No changes are likely. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka pretty much pick themselves in the left and right wing positions. Arsenal’s new captain Martin Odegaard has been in stellar scoring form lately with three goals in two outings.
The Norwegian is a nailed-on starter from the number 10 spot while Gabriel Jesus should lead the line. Eddie Nketiah had a very positive influence off the bench, and did everything right other than score. His time to start will come in future.
Expected Arsenal line-up vs Aston Villa
