Arsenal will look to extend their winning run to six games when they host Brentford in the third round of the EFL Cup tomorrow. The Gunners are coming on the back of five consecutive wins in all competitions with their latest win coming against Everton at the weekend.
This will be Brentford’s first away game against Arsenal since 1947 and surprisingly, the current Championship outfit hold a better head to head record against the Gunners, recording five victories in 12 meetings compared to Arsenal’s four while the other three ended in draws.
Arsenal Team news
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is expected to overcome his ankle problem this midweek. But, the likes of Laurent Koscielny, Konstantinos Mavrapanos, Ainsley-Maitland Niles and Carl Jenkinson are all sidelined due to injuries.
Sokratis picked up a knock against the Toffees and is unlikely to be risked today. Sead Kolasinac is back in full training but today’s match might come too soon for him.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup vs Brentford
Defence
Bernd Leno will replace Petr Cech as the goalkeeper. The former Bayer Leverkusen keeper hasn’t had too many opportunities to prove himself for his new club this season and therefore, he will be keen on making a good impression.
In the backline, Mustafi will team up with Rob Holding in central defence while the experienced duo of Stephan Lichtsteiner and Nacho Monreal will be deployed as the fullbacks. Kolasinac’s uncertainty means Monreal cannot afford to be rested. Lichsteiner has had a difficult start to life in England and will like to have a solid game against Brentford.
Midfield
Lucas Torreira is likely to be rested ahead of the weekend’s Premier League clash against in-form Watford. As a result, Matteo Guendouzi looks all set to start in midfield alongside Mohamed Elneny with Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil all left on the bench.
Interestingly, however, Guendouzi’s arrival at the club has somewhat overshadowed the presence of Elneny so it will be intriguing to see how both the midfielders fare in a double pivot system today. Guendouzi, in particular, will be a key component for the Gunners midfield, thanks to his excellent passing and tackling prowess.
Attack
We expect heavy rotation in the frontline. The duo of Lacazette and Aubameyang have had to shoulder a lot of responsibility in terms of scoring goals and they will welcome a breather. Ozil has been off-colour but is likely to be afforded a rest.
We expect the highly anticipated full debut of Emile Smith-Rowe while fellow teenager Eddie Nketiah might start up front. Iwobi is in line to start on the left with Welbeck plying his trade on the right flank.
