Arsenal head to Nottingham Forest on Sunday as they look to keep pace with Manchester City in the Premier League.
The Gunners bounced back from their loss to Brighton with two wins in a row since the international break ended. They needed a second-half comeback against Leeds to take all three points at the Emirates in the Premier League last weekend before they made relatively easy work of Lille on Tuesday in the Champions League, cruising to a 3-0 win.
Arsenal’s late starts have become a concern,
failing to score in the first half in two of their past seven matches across all competitions, and haven’t scored a first half goal in the PL since their win over Chelsea over a week ago. It doesn’t matter when you score, but putting the ball in the net earlier would certainly make things a hell of a lot less tense.
Mikel Arteta made a few changes midweek, but has a pretty consistent track record of keeping his starting roster the same in the PL. With a few new injuries, he has more to juggle ahead of a major showdown at Bayern Munich next Wednesday.
Let’s take a look at who is out, who is returning, and how Arteta may line up this Sunday.
Injuries & Suspensions
Arsenal emerged from their midweek victory without any new injuries, which I’m told is a good thing. Arteta was able to rotate a few of his usual starters before giving them some second half runout, which is also good.
Last weekend’s freakish warm-down injury to Piero Hincapie wasn’t the only malady to come out of the post-match action, with Martin Zubimendi also injured in the incident. Luckily, it appears that he came out with a knock and could potentially be available for Sunday. Hincapie’s injury looks to be a long-term layoff with Arteta indicating that it could be several weeks.
William Saliba remains out with a back injury but has begun individual training on grass while Christos Tzolis is nearing availability.
OUT: William Saliba (back), Christos Tzolis (hamstring), Piero Hincapie (ankle)
DOUBT: Martin Zubimendi (ankle)
Predicted Lineup
Attack: Madueke, Havertz, Saka
LW: Noni Madueke
The left wing spot has remained the most unsettled part of the Arsenal attack with Arteta relying on a platoon approach.
With Christos Tzolis out, it comes down to one of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke. Neither really move the needle, but Madueke is a more natural winger and he may be the only player at the moment with any threatening top end speed. His performance last weekend against Leeds was promising after Arteta sang his praises for his hard work in training, and he notched an assist midweek.
ST: Kai Havertz
It’s no coincidence that the introduction of Havertz, Saka, and Ødegaard ramped up the attack’s output against Lille. Their chemistry, when it’s clicking, is simply top. Kai’s production has been so-so this season (which, frankly, has been the case with a lot of the attackers), but he was immense in his second half cameo, racking up the highest expected assists in the side while also providing the assist for Saka’s goal to seal the 3-0 win. He’s a “work smarter, not harder” player who has become Arteta’s first choice among the striker corps. Considering Gyökeres’ barren patch this season, he isn’t being displaced any time soon.
RW: Bukayo Saka
Saka’s season has been a strange one; he’s the side’s top scorer, but has come under a mountain of scrutiny for his inability to pass the vaunted “eye test.” Sure, he’s missed some chances he likely scores two seasons ago, but injuries and a lack of a meaningful break last summer will do that. He made an immediate difference on Tuesday and put in a confidence-inspiring shift, providing an assist and scoring within 10 minutes of coming on and clearly looked a bit relieved to find the net after failing to score at the end of the Leeds match. If he’s fit, he starts.
Midfield: Rice, MLS, Ødegaard
CM: Declan Rice
I’m not totally sure Declan starts midweek if not for the freak warm-down injury to Martin Zubimendi after Leeds. Nevertheless, he put in another tireless display and helped propel the Gunners to a 14th consecutive CL league phase victory. Arteta will want to be careful not to push him to the redline with a trip to Bayern Munich next week, but he’s the sort of player that will play until his legs fall off. He is nailed on in the league and starts at Forest, unless the gaffer decides to give Bruno some run out to rest Rice for Wednesday.
CDM: Miles Lewis-Skelly
Like Rice, MLS had his role shifted on Tuesday due to Piero Hincapie’s warm down ankle injury as he slotted back in at his old left back spot. Lille’s attack didn’t ask many questions of him over his 90 minutes, so it’s a safe assumption that he’s good to start at the base of the midfield on Sunday.
CAM: Martin Ødegaard
The captain’s excellent season continues. He looked extremely comfortable in the final 25 minutes as the game shifted drastically in the hosts’ favor in the final 30 minutes. His early goal-scoring streak has gone a bit cold, but he has looked to regain his edge overall. Between picking passes in the attack and cleaning up loose balls in defense, he’s been the Gunners’ best player this season by some distance.
Defense: Calafiori, Gabriel, Konsa, Timber
LB: Riccardo Calafiori
The left back was an unused sub against Lille, and Arsenal got along fine with him riding the pine for the night. If it wasn’t for Ødegaard’s reemergence, he’d be next in line for this season’s standout player. His equalizer against Leeds helped turn the tide in a tense match, once again popping up in the attack in a crucial moment. Arteta’s decision to carefully rotate him has been a huge boost to the Italian’s season, as he has become one of the PL’s most electric defenders.
LCB: Gabriel Magalhães
Gabi has, unsurprisingly, been the workhorse for the defense as he remains the defender with the most minutes this season. He is the eye of the storm as the backline has undergone continuous rotation through injury. With his right hand man William Saliba out so far this season, he hasn’t quite been at his absolute best, but he’s been far from a slouch. His partnership with Konsa continues to grow into a formidable force.
RC: Ezri Konsa
Speaking of, Konsa has been proving to be money well spent after signing for the reigning PL champs over the summer. His penchant for momentum-killing tackles and overall bite has made him the aggressor at the back for the defense. His intensity has occasionally gotten him on the wrong side of the ref’s graces, but that’s the price you pay with his playstyle.
RB: Jurrien Timber
Jurrien Timber’s long path back to fitness feels like it is at or near the end. Starting against Lille, he was solid in defense and broke the deadlock with a deft chip from a tight angle in the second half. It was a brilliant reminder of his underrated quality in front of goal. It was also nice to see Arteta give him a breather when he subbed Ben White on for the final 15 minutes.
White has quietly had a really good season, so a start for him isn’t out of the question. His link up with Saka and Ødegaard is well-established, and he has notched two assists this season. Either is player is worthy of a start.
Keeper: David Raya
Arsenal haven’t been quite as watertight in the back this season; their clean sheet on Tuesday was the first in four matches. The defense did their job as Lille didn’t register a shot on target, so David Raya got to enjoy a quiet night, which hopefully carries into the weekend.
WHO: Arsenal at Nottingham Forest
WHAT: Premier League match day 7
WHEN: Sunday, October 18th, 11:30am EST/8:30am PST/4:30pm GMT
WHERE: The City Ground, Nottingham
HOW TO WATCH: Streaming on the Peacock app
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