Arsenal are currently on a high after a string of good results saw them climb above their arch rivals Manchester United into the 5th Spot. Although Liverpool have virtually diminished Arsenal’s hope of a top four with their 4-0 thrashing of West Ham, still it seems highly unlikely that Arsenal will put their feet off the gas.
Arsenal will try to keep the pressure on Manchester City and Liverpool and hope for a slip up in either of their last 2 matches.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup Vs Sunderland (3-4-2-1)
Goalkeeper
It is unlikely that Cech would be changed after his stellar performances against Man United, Southampton and Stoke City.
Defence
Arsene would try to stick to his “Back 3” mantra which has been proven to be extremely effective and is very unlikely to change it against Sunderland. With Koscielny injured and unlikely to play, Monreal seems to be the obvious choice at the back. The Spanish left back has had a string of good games recently making him the obvious choice in place of Koscielny.
Holding defended like a rock against the Potters. He seems to be unchanged from the squad. Also, Mustafi has had a good first season with the Gunners and would be hoping to impress the gaffer to secure his spot in FA Cup final as Gabriel also seems to be in good form.
Midfield
Arsene would likely play a 4 man midfield with Bellerin and Gibbs acting as wing-backs.
Bellerin, although inconsistent, has played well in the last two matches against Southampton and Stoke and is likely to start as the right wing back and with Chamberlain injured he would want to prove his mettle.
Xhaka has impressed many with his performance of late. Showing vision and creativity with incisive passes he cements his place in the XI.
Ramsey also is likely to be in the XI. Wenger would not want to risk wearing out Coquelin keeping in mind the FA Cup final, which is looming large on the horizon.
Gibbs would be seen to make a comeback as he has also shown strings of good performances of late. He was quite impressive against Southampton and is most likely to feature in the first 11.
Forward
The front three seems to remain same with the three of them having a good run of games. Ozil and Sanchez would be assigned the same duty as they were during the Potter’s game; to line up behind the lone striker Giroud.
The trio has displayed an enthralling game in the weekend where all four goals were scored by them. They would be individually looking to shut out the critics that have scrutinised them heavily in the past 2 months.
