Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hinted that he could drop Martin Odegaard against Leeds on Saturday.
The Gunners are hoping to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table, as they face a Leeds United side, who are unbeaten in 10 of their last 11 matches. It won’t be easy for Arteta’s side, but they’ll be confident in their ability.
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Arsenal come off a 3-2 win in the Champions League against Kairat, in which Kai Havertz, and Viktor Gyokeres both really stood out as attacking options. Both players got a goal and an assist during the game, and could be in line to start this weekend.
Furthermore, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze have both struggled to perform in the attacking midfield role this season, and so Arteta could make a change in his lineup.
Arteta hints at playing Havertz vs Leeds
Havertz recently returned from a long-term knee injury, and looked excellent against Kairat, and so he could be in line to start his first Premier League game since coming back on Saturday, at the detriment of both Odegaard and Eze.
Arteta said in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning: “He [Havertz] is ready. Obviously he started the other day, it’s been a long period and now we need to manage that load and the games that we’re going to select for him to start. But there was no reaction to that, I think it was super positive, you could see straightaway the impact that he can have in the team. So yes, he’s ready.”
It looks as though Havertz could start on Saturday as he performed well in the attacking midfielder role on Wednesday. He was also able to unlock Gyokeres’ talents, so it could be a transformative move for Arteta in attack.
Timber and Saliba expected back for Arsenal too
Amid Havertz’s return from injury, Arsenal are also expecting to see defenders William Saliba and Jurrien Timber return from minor knocks against Leeds at the weekend.
Both missed the midweek Champions League match against Kairat, but it was understood to be a precautionary decision, and so, Arteta should be able to select them on Saturday.
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