Dubbed a 'must win' by Head Coach Unai Emery, the Gunners travel north to Huddersfield to face the struggling Terriers who sit bottom of the Premier League table. Arsenal on the other hand are sixth and are looking for all three points to keep their slim hopes of a top four finish alive. With Chelsea to play Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, a win for Arsenal could well pull them back into the mix for forth spot.
Having returned to full training, the currently under-par Shkodran Mustafi is available from the off should he be called upon. With Sokratis still out, its very likely that the German will partner skipper Laurent Koscielny at centre half. Monreal is also an option but with two natural centre backs fit, they should both play. Monreal may come in at left back again with Kolasinac having to settle with a place on the bench after an odd stint at right midfield last time out. At right back, the real problem, Emery faces a potential head ache. If fit, Maitland-Niles plays but his status is a little unknown at present as he's being assessed ahead of the game. If he fails to make it then it's Lichtsteiner or Jenkinson. After last weekend's atrocious performance from the experienced Swiss, it's time Carl 'Livin The Dream' Jenkinson has a go. He's fitter, faster and looks far more interested compared to Lichtsteiner. The real problem is that neither are good enough to start games for Arsenal Football Club. Bernd Leno has has it pretty tough since coming in midway through the Watford game all those months ago. He's lost clean sheets through no fault of his own but the odd little slip here or blunder there has dropped clean sheets were perhaps his defence thought it could have done better. His ability isn't in question but maybe it's taking him that little bit longer to grow accustomed to life in the Premier League. Either way he starts this one.
In midfield, the fitness of Granit Xhaka remains unknown but based on Guendouzi's recent performances, he deserves to be in on merit, rather than through someone else's absence. Torreira too needs to start to provide that true defensive mindset that most other midfielders in the team lack. In wide areas, we could see a first start for Denis Suarez, a player Emery likes and knows well. It's unlikely that the Spaniard will play the entire ninety but he has been brought in for a reason, and needs minutes to prove himself. He could start on one flank, with the more dynamic Aaron Ramsey or creative Mesut Ozil starting from the other. We've learned that Emery is not a huge fan of Ozil and what he does (or doesn't do) without the ball but Emery has never once discredited the German playmaker for his creative and attacking talents. Against a team like Huddersfield, the Gunners will need someone like Ozil to unlock a dogged and deep lying defence that's happy to absorb possession. He can deliver exactly that and provided the rest of the team is set up to accommodate him, against a team like Huddersfield, it shouldn't be a problem. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alex Lacazette need to start together once again in attack. Arsenal cannot keep teams out in the defensive end so to win football matches, they need to outscore their opponents. The best and only way to do this currently, is to have both strikers together in a true partnership. Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has returned to full fitness after a metatarsal injury and played for the U23s in midweek. A start is unlikely though having been out for over six weeks and only trained properly since Monday but he could provide a good attacking option from the bench, if required.
The hosts are desperate. They sit bottom of the table and already fourteen points from safety. A change of manager slightly altered their performances and mentality of late but the points are yet to follow. Seeking points so desperately could play into Arsenal's hand a little as, at home, they are likely to try and grab something from the game. With the Gunners' shaky backline, the Terriers could even be confident of grabbing a goal or two. Their issue (much like ours) is keeping teams out of their net. Clean sheets are few and far between, and unlike Arsenal, they cannot outscore opponents. Trying to come out strong and play Arsenal could mean that we see chances. At the Emirates in the reverse fixture, Huddersfield sat deep for long periods and played for a 0-0. It took an eighty-third minute winner from one Lucas Torreira to earn all three points. In their back yard, this game could be a little different. With midfielder Aaron Mooy now back from the Asia Cup, Huddersfield have their box-to-box midfield dynamo back to certainly adds a little class going forward. A timely return for the Australian as fellow midfielder Jonathon Hogg has been injured and could again miss this game with a back problem. Chris Lowe has been ill this week so could be unavailable whilst Mbenza and Williams remain more longer term absentees.
Expected lineup:
GK: Bernd Leno
RB: Carl Jenkinson
CB: Shkodran Mustafi
CB: Laurent Koscielny
LB: Nacho Monreal
CM: Matteo Guendouzi
CM: Lucas Torreira
RAM: Denis Suarez
LAM: Aaron Ramsey
ST: Alex Lacazette
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Prediction: 3-1 to the Gunners, with Aubameyang and Lacazette both on the scoresheet.
@craigbennett10
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