Arsenal host French side LOSC Lille on Tuesday night as the Champions League league phase resumes as the Gunners look to solidify another top 8 finish.
The Premier League has been as chaotic as ever since the recent campaign started. While Mikel Arteta’s side have been largely consistent, the parity has made it tough for any team to distinguish themselves as of yet. Coupled with the drama surrounding the Manchester City verdict, the season so far has felt considerably unusual.
Compounding the strange
start is that the Gunners have yet to find their footing. Between the two usual suspects of injuries and poor finishing, they have not come close to hitting their stride and have looked less dominant than they have in recent seasons. The talent and depth are undeniable, but they just haven’t clicked yet. It’ll come, but it’s not there yet.
The CL has barely begun, but the prospect of a European night seems like a palate cleanser with all of the unpredictability in England’s top flight. The Gunners started off the campaign with a dominant display at Napoli where they were unfortunate to not have left with a far more generous scoreline than the 0-1 final showed.
Their failure to capitalize on chances also means that they enter matchday two in 15th place. It’s obviously early days and the standings will have shifted massively by week’s end, but the league phase rewards prolific offenses just as much as it does staunch defenses. If the Gunners want to ensure they don’t find themselves playing catch up as the league phase continues, they’ll need to start scoring, and often.
After month away from home, but they find themselves back at the Emirates for a second straight match, where they have enjoyed a perfect record through three matches so far. Can they find their shooting boots and extend that to four before a trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday?
Know the Enemy
The Premier League isn’t the only league in the midst of an atypical start. Over in France, Ligue 1 has been equally as unusual as perennial powerhouse PSG sit in 6th after six matches played, while Arsenal’s opponent on Tuesday find themselves in 2nd place.
Lille have been having a great start to the season domestically, with a record of 4-1-1. Their Champions League campaign did not get off to as auspicious a start when they lost 2-3 to Real Betis at home back in September, landing them in 22nd place after the opening match.
The Gunners will be the betting favorites on Tuesday when they face Lille, who they have never faced competitively before. Lille possess some quality that can give the hosts fits, but few of their players pop off the stat sheet as out-and-out threats. They are 8th in goals scored in Ligue 1 and have failed to score more than two goals in any match so far this season. Their attack is fairly analogous to Arsenal’s recent opponents Leeds in that they aren’t an aggressive, high-volume side. They tend to play long balls over the top or send through balls for their attackers to run in on, which also means they have a tendency to get caught offside a lot.
Arsenal’s high line could play into their hands if the Gunners don’t come into the match focused. The Gunners have not fared will in foot races recently, with both Leeds and Brighton scoring in transition. The lack of pace in Arsenal’s defense has been one of their few weaknesses that teams have caught on to, and if Lille can work that to their advantage, they might be able to find some joy on Tuesday.
Defensively, they share the joint best goals against in Ligue 1 with only 4 goals allowed. Level of play aside, that’s where they likely will frustrate the Gunners most. Arsenal’s attack has been wasteful recently, and that could potentially compound woes for the hosts and give confidence to the opposition.
On the “hey there, old friend” side of things, former Gunner Olivier Giroud returns to the Emirates for the first time since he left Chelsea five years ago. It will be interesting to see the reception he gets after a rather contentious exit.
Injuries & Suspensions
Arsenal fans were relieved to see a contingent of players return to selection for the win over Leeds. Kai Havertz in particular was a bit of a surprise after he suffered what looked to be a bad injury during the break. Ben White was back in the side as well, while Cristhian Mosquera made the bench.
The most frustrating news following the match was that Piero Hincapie appeared to have suffered a potentially serious injury during the post-match warm down session. He pulled up with what looked to be an ankle issue and had to be carried off by Illan Messlier. He looked visibly distraught, which is never a good sign.
Both he and Martin Zubimendi were absent from Monday’s training after Zubi apparently picked up a knock during Saturday’s warm down as well. I don’t know what’s going on in those sessions, but perhaps it needs some retooling if we want to have a healthy roster through the season.
On the positive side, William Saliba has returned to individual training on grass. His absence has luckily not cratered the early phase of the season, but he is impossible to replace. Christos Tzolis remains unavailable as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
OUT: William Saliba (back), Piero Hincapie (ankle), Christos Tzolis (hamstring)
DOUBT: Martin Zubimendi (knock)
Predicted Lineup
Attack: Eze, Gyökeres, Madueke
Arsenal are right back into the thick of a dense run of fixtures, which you would think necessitates rotation from Mikel Arteta. With a three day turnaround, that’s the hope.
Eberechi Eze’s season has been off to a poor start. He was unused on Saturday as he continues to struggle for match time. Noni Madueke was bright on the left, but with Bukayo Saka looking a shell of his former self, you have to imagine Noni gets the start on the right, which opens up a spot on the left for Eze.
Likewise, Viktor Gyökeres continues to get scraps at the end of matches. He did, however, show some great moments on Saturday, especially when he sprung Saka for a 1v1 just before the match ended. Kai Havertz just returned from injury, so a start for Vik just makes sense. European opposition tends to play more open, and that suits his skillset.
Midfield: Bruno, MLS, Ødegaard
The midfield is less likely to see as much rotation as the front three. If there’s a player that could take the place of a starter, it would be Bruno Guimarães for Declan Rice. Rice was left back from international duty with fatigue, and Bruno’s match-winning cameo was the type of bounce-back you want to see after his poor showing against Brighton.
The duo of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Martin Ødegaard are locks to start. While I think Martin Zubimendi is due a start, MLS has been as consistent as they come. Likewise, Ødegaard has been playing his best in years.
Defense: Calafiori, Gabriel, Konsa, Timber
Piero Hincapie would have been an easy choice for Tuesday if not for his injury. That being said, Riccardo Calafiori has been excellent, scoring on Saturday. He starts on the left. The middle duo of Gabriel and Ezri Konsa seems to be gelling. Cristhian Mosquera could slide in to spell Konsa, who also had a minor knock during the break, but Arteta seems to absolutely hate rotating his center back pairings. On the right, Jurrien Timber is an easy choice after coming on as a sub for Ben White last match. Either would be fine, but when you consider their recent injuries, White getting a rest while Timber gets his match fitness up is ideal.
Keeper: Raya
David Raya didn’t have his best match against Leeds, but he would have to put in an absolute mare for one of Kepa or Messlier to take his spot in a meaningful match.
WHO: Arsenal vs Lille
WHAT: Champions League league phase match day 2
WHEN: Tuesday, October 13th, 3:00pm EST/12:00pm PST/8:00pm GMT
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Streaming on the Paramount+ and Amazon Prime apps
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