After convincing home wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, Arsenal are now aiming to maintain their impressive form and sizeable lead at the top of the Premier League as they prepare for another London derby this weekend against Chelsea.
Despite the injury Trossard sustained in midweek, Mikel Arteta appears to have more options in midfield and attack than he did a week ago, following the returns of Martinelli, Madueke and Odegaard.
Raya, Timber and Saliba will be some of the first names on the teamsheet as usual and after his decent performance against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, Mosquera should get the nod over Hincapie.
Zubimendi and Rice’s partnership in midfield will face another stern test on the road at Stamford Bridge but infront of the duo could be the headline change to the line-up.
Odegaard would be my call to start ahead of Eze because of the energy the Norwegian brings, amongst other things. Yes, Eze scored an outstanding hat-trick last week but the ability to press and burst of energy that Odegaard offers will be needed in a game like this.
Saka and the in-form Merino have to start again while Madueke – who has a point to prove against his old club – may be a better fit than Martinelli on the left wing, with Trossard’s potential absence.
**PREDICTED TEAM**
Raya
Timber – Mosquera – Saliba – Calafiori
Zubimendi – Rice
Odegaard
Saka – Merino – Madueke