Following a disastrous 5-1 defeat against Liverpool, Arsenal will hope to bounce back to winning ways when they host Fulham on Tuesday.
The Gunners are currently fifth in the table, but dropping points against the Cottagers could prove costly, especially with Manchester United breathing down their necks.
Arsenal team news
Unai Emery will continue to miss out on the services of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Rob Holding and Danny Welbeck.
Defender Konstantinos Mavrapanos is also injured while Mesut Ozil, Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal and Shkodran Mustafi are all doubtful and will be assessed ahead of the game.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Fulham
Defence
Stephan Lichtsteiner may once again get the chance to deputise for Bellerin in the right-back position. Sead Kolasinac, on the other hand, will continue to feature as the left-back.
Mustafi took a knock and was subbed off at half-time against Liverpool. As a result, club captain Laurent Koscielny could make his return to the starting eleven. He is likely to be deployed as the centre-back alongside Sokratis, who will be keen to perform well, following a calamitous showing against the Reds last weekend.
Bernd Leno is expected to keep his place in goal, despite conceding five goals against the Reds. However, he lags behind Petr Cech in terms of saves made per game (Leno – 2.9, Cech – 4) and a strong performance this week could be crucial if he is to retain his place in the side.
Midfield
Emery could make a few changes in midfield this week as he looks to keep his players fresh ahead of a hectic schedule. Star midfielder Lucas Torreira could be rested, meaning Matteo Guendouzi could be given a start in the midfield.
The Frenchman will partner Granit Xhaka, and Mohamed Elneny, with the Egyptian replacing Aaron Ramsey. Elneny has averaged two shots on goal per game this season but he certainly needs to be more effective if he is to make an impact against Fulham this week.
Attack
Arsenal confirmed that Mesut Ozil will be assessed ahead of Tuesday’s encounter but we expect the former German international to make it into the starting lineup.
He will be deployed as the lone attacking midfielder, who will provide the support to central strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.
Despite a troubled campaign, Ozil still leads the team in terms of key passes per game and his creative influence will be crucial as the Gunners aim to pick all three points against Claudio Ranieri’s men.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
