Arsenal round out Sunday’s Premier League action with a trip to Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners have banished their reputation as set-piece specialists and have been scoring at will this season, although manager Mikel Arteta needed his big guns to keep that momentum going after a handful of fringe players failed to ignite the midweek victory over Lille.
Attention now turns back to the Premier League. Arsenal are already playing catch-up to Manchester City in the title race and cannot afford to stumble against a Forest outfit struggling towards the bottom of the table.
Here’s how Arteta could set up for this one.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Nottingham Forest
GK: David Raya—The stopper didn’t have to make a single save against Lille and will hope for a similarly quiet outing here.
RB: Ben White—Jurriën Timber scored midweek but Arteta knows he must be careful with the Dutchman’s fitness and may opt to rest him again here.
CB: Ezri Konsa—Arteta’s hands are somewhat tied in defense, where William Saliba and Piero Hincapié are both out injured. This is exactly why he pushed so hard for Konsa’s transfer in the summer.
CB: Gabriel—There are never any questions about Gabriel’s place in the starting lineup. If he is healthy, he plays.
LB: Riccardo Calafiori—Calafiori has started every game in the Premier League this season and can expect that trend to continue after being rested against Lille.
Pick Your Arsenal XI!
DM: Bruno Guimarães—There’s a real battle for this midfield spot, although Martín Zubimendi is not currently part of it after getting injured last week. Guimarães has earned the chance to make this position his own.
DM: Declan Rice—While all the other midfielders compete for one place in the team, Rice’s spot is under no threat. He’s assisted in three of his last four Premier League outings.
RM: Bukayo Saka—A goal and an assist off the bench against Lille sees Saka come into this one at the peak of his powers.
AM: Martin Ødegaard—The captain was another brought on to change the game midweek. Ødegaard’s hot start to the season may have cooled somewhat but he remains an undisputed starter when fit.
LM: Eberechi Eze—Christos Tzoils remains unavailable through injury and Eze will hope that his goal against Lille was enough to earn himself another start. A tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo could be coming if he scores.
ST: Kai Havertz—Viktor Gyökeres wants more minutes, but until he starts to back that confidence up on the pitch, this spot is Havertz’s to lose. The German had more touches in 25 minutes against Lille than Gyökeres did in the previous 65.
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