Arsenal return to Premier League action today when they host West Ham United at the Emirates.
The Gunners won their last game against Portsmouth in the FA Cup, and sort of redeemed themselves after being knocked out of the Europa League by Olympiakos.
Their last league game was against Everton, where they snatched a vital 3-2 win against the Toffees, and Arteta will be hoping for something similar again today before the daunting trip to the Etihad come Wednesday.
The Gunners will face a struggling West Ham United side that have lost 3 of their last 5 league games, but David Moyes’ side secured an important win against Southampton last time around. When the two sides met previously in the league, Arsenal won the game 3-1.
Arsenal Team News
Calum Chambers and Cedric Soares are long-term absentees and will miss this week’s game, while Sead Kolasinac is also on the treatment table. Kieran Tierney is still not match-fit and is unlikely to feature.
The latest Arsenal player to join the treatment room is Lucas Torreira, who suffered a fracture in the FA Cup win against Portsmouth.
Let’s take a look at the possible Arsenal lineup for this game against West Ham United.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup vs West Ham United (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Bernd Leno should return in goal for this Premier League game after sitting out the FA Cup win.
Defence
Pablo Mari made his Arsenal debut against Portsmouth and had a good game at the back alongside David Luiz. But, the Spaniard may not be chosen for the Premier League game and could be eased into the side.
We should see Luiz start at the back, with Shkodran Mustafi partnering him in the Arsenal lineup. Bukayo Saka should continue at left-back, while Hector Bellerin should retain his right-back slot despite his patchy form since his return from injury.
Midfield
Dani Ceballos should return to the Arsenal lineup after being a substitute in the FA Cup win. He will play alongside Granit Xhaka at the base of midfield.
Mesut Ozil should also return to the Arsenal team, playing in the No. 10 role having featured heavily under Arteta.
The likes of Matteo Guendouzi and Joe Willock are further options to consider for the new manager in the midfield roles.
Attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe should start from the left and right, respectively. Arteta has a decision to make regarding the striker position – does he stick with Eddie Nketiah, who has scored thrice in his last five games in all competitions, or bring back Alexandre Lacazette, who has two in his last three games?
