Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is expecting a 'tough game' against Ipswich Town. _(Image: PA)_
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is expecting 'a very tough game' against Ipswich Town, at the Emirates, on Friday night (8.15pm, Amazon Prime).
The Gunners won 5-1 at Crystal Palace on Saturday and are currently third in the Premier League table. Ipswich lost 4-0 at home to Newcastle and sit 19th in the standings.
Asked what he'd made of Ipswich following their back-to-back promotions into the top flight, Arteta said: "Very impressed. I like Kieran (McKenna) and have a lot of people that know him very closely and they always say great things about him.
"You can tell how they’re coached, what they’re trying to do. I think they’ve been very unfortunate in many games not getting the results that they deserve, so a very tough game for sure."
Arsenal were dealt a major injury blow in their win against Palace when star man Bukayo Saka (5G, 10A all competitions) went off with a hamstring injury that is set to rule him out for a significant period of time.
With Raheem Sterling (knee) also out, it leaves Arteta with a shortage of natural right wing options.
"I am putting some ideas together," he said. "I haven’t got there yet, but I have a few. Then I want to speak with them as well, to understand how we are going to generate that and take it in a positive way. Because we are going to be different.
"Gabby (Martinelli) has played there, Ethan (Nwaneri) has played there, Leo (Trossard) can play there in relation to how that unit moves. Kai (Havertz) can play there, asking him different things. So, We'll see, try to speak to them as well and understand how they feel about it."
Ben White (knee), Oleksandr Zinchenko (muscle), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) remain sidelined for Arsenal, though Declan Rice and Ricardo Calafiori made their injury returns off the bench at the weekend.