Predicted Arsenal Starting XI For Stoke Clash

Arsenal get back to domestic action on Sunday after beating Marseille 2-1 in midweek as they welcome Stoke City to the Emirates Stadium.

Boss Arsene Wenger revealed at his press conference on Friday morning that midfielder Mikel Arteta is in contention to be in the squad after returning to full training today.

The Spaniard’s fitness will be assessed on Saturday morning before a decision is taken over his involvement against Stoke but I feel it’s highly unlikely he’ll start. Wenger will most probably have him on the bench, give him 20 minutes on Sunday and then start him against West Brom in the Cup next week.

That means there is very little room for movement to the starting line-up. We have few realistic options to bring in to the attack due to injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski, Tomas Rosicky, Yaya Sanogo and Santi Cazorla.

There’s a chance Carl Jenkinson or Nancho Monreal may come in to the defence but with the Capital One Cup coming up on Wednesday, and the form of Kieran Gibbs in particular, I think the boss will stick with the same side that beat Marseille before rotating in midweek.

Therefore the team is likely to once again be:

What do you think? What team would you pick?