The kings of the FA Cup will be in action tomorrow. The competitions will sort of serve as a welcome distraction for Arsenal as they aren’t doing so great in the league. Arsene Wenger and his men truly love the competition and will begin their title defence by facing Nottingham Forest on Sunday evening.
After an action-packed game against Chelsea, Wenger could rest some of his key players. Some of the fringe players could get a chance to impress and here’s a look at how the Gunners could line up for the game.
Team news
Several high-profile names could miss out owing to injuries. Olivier Giroud and Sead Kolasinac have been ruled out for a couple of weeks’ time. Mesut Ozil has had a knock on his knee and could be given a breather. Nacho Monreal too could sit out this game.
Formation: 3-4-1-2
Defence
David Ospina will start the game ahead of Petr Cech. Ospina has been playing regularly in the League Cup and the Europa League this season and will be looking to utilise this opportunity.
The back three would be formed of Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker, and Mathieu Debuchy. The three of them have hardly featured in the Premier League this season. It would be interesting to see how these three defenders gel together at the back.
Midfield
Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin will be the two central defensive midfielders in this formation. Both of them are quite defensive minded and generally stick to their job of breaking up play and then starting off counter attacks.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles was very impressive in the last game for the Gunners as he ran up and down the flank and provided a few moments of joy on the wide areas. A repetition of that performance could be quite expected in the upcoming game too.
Hector Bellerin could be rested in the favour of Reiss Nelson for the match. Nelson has made quite a few appearances for Arsenal this season and is among the finest young talents plying their trade at Arsenal.
Attack
Joe Willock can play as the central attacking midfielder in this match. Like other players, he too has gotten a few chances in the League Cup as well as in the Europa League. Willock has a pass accuracy of 89% and this makes him a potent threat in the final third.
Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott will have the chance to prove their worth. Both of them have failed to make the most of their opportunities this season.
