Mikel Arteta will need to decide who he is putting forward to face Mansfield Town on Saturday, keeping in mind his side’s presence in three other tournaments.
Over the next two weeks, Arsenal will play in all four competitions, starting with their FA Cup clash against the Stags. They then have both Champions League round of 16 legs to prepare for, a Premier League clash with Everton, and the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
The Gunners are now seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table and after multiple title near misses in recent years, Arteta’s priority will certainly be on finally lifting the trophy.
Gabriel Martinelli celebrates a hat-trick by holding up three fingers.placeholder image
Gabriel Martinelli celebrates a hat-trick by holding up three fingers.
Predicted Arsenal starting line-up to face Mansfield Town
Arsenal have fielded strong line-ups in their FA Cup run so far. Brazilian duo Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli started against both Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic, and combined to score five of the eight goals across the two fixtures. Jesus’ time in the Premier League has been limited this season since the arrival of Viktor Gyokeres, so it’s likely he will return to the starting XI against Stags.
New boys Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze could return to the fold after starting against Pompey and Wigan as well. Kai Havertz is also in contention after making a substitute appearance against Brighton in the league. However, Arteta may view it as a risk to start the German playmaker, having only just got him back from injury, but it makes sense from a rotation point of view.
Arsenal’s defence is statistically the strongest in the Premier League right now but given some recent injury setbacks and availability issues, this may be the area Arteta spends the longest on deciding. Ben White has been the first choice right-back in the FA Cup so far but he is currently ruled out injured with no estimated return date. Myles Lewis-Skelly, who likely would have been the first choice option on the left, is suspended due to picking up back-to-back yellow cards in the previous two games.
This could pave the way for Riccardo Calafiori to start in his preferred left-back position, while Cristhian Mosquera could fill in on the right. The ever-reliable Gabriel Magalhães may also be called upon to steady things at centre-back, which would allow Arteta to hand a huge starting opportunity to 16-year-old Marli Salmon alongside the Brazilian.
Predicted Arsenal starting XI to face Stags: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cristhian Mosquera, Marli Salmon, Gabriel Magalhães, Riccardo Calafiori,
Christian Nørgaard, Eberechi Eze, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus.
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