By Danong and 1970s Gooner
**Tonight, Arsenal's going up against Monaco, and a solid win could boost them all the way to second place from 10th in the Champions League standings.
After the 1-1 draw with Fulham, Gooners are definitely hoping and pushing the team to bounce back, but it’s not going to be an easy task.
The Gunners might have a tough time putting out their best lineup because of injuries.**
**Seven possible defenders did not train yesterday afternoon. That's Partey,Calafiori, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Timber. Tomiyasu and White obviously absent too.
The coaching staff at Arsenal is facing a challenging situation. They've got a solid midfield and attacking options to pick from, but they'll need to be smart about how they organise their defence.**
It appears that Jakub Kiwior and William Saliba will continue in central defense. At left-back we may have to rely on either Kieran Tierney or Myles Lewis Skelly to fill in. Tierney may get the nod.
**So, who's playing right back? It would be unfortunate if both Timber and Partey are ruled out of that game. I just hope that one of them receives clearance to play.
Given Timber just got back from an ACL injury and is feeling some discomfort, it’s probably best not to take any chances with him. Hopefully, Thomas Partey can play and Timber will be ready for the Everton match.
Which Arsenal lineup will be able to handle Monaco, a team that has been performing well in Ligue 1? They're sitting in third place, just 5 points behind PSG at the top of the table.
Well, here's the predicted lineup:
Raya
Partey, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney
Rice, Merino, Odegaard
Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
You'll notice that Merino and Martinelli (who didn't start on Sunday) returned to the predicted starting 11.**
Martinelli's speed is going to be tough to deal with on the left wing and with Merino at LCM, we’re hoping to breathe some life into that side, which really struggled against Fulham.
**If Partey and Timber are not available to play at right back then we are in deep sh-t.
Arteta may have to either play an academy player or make an outlandish selection and play someone like Martinelli there....
It has been reported that Josh Nichols,** who is a right back and Maldini Kakuri were with the under 19s today for a UEFA youth game which may rule them out of tonight's game.
Ayden Heaven, Josh Robinson, Zane Monlouis and Elian Quesada Thorn did not participate so there is a chance that one of them could be starting tonight.
Let's hope it won't come to that.