Mikel Arteta could be inclined to make wholesale changes when Arsenal lock horns with Lille in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
Bukayo Saka of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on October 10, 2026 in London, England
Bukayo Saka could be in line for a rest soon.(Image: Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Mikel Arteta could make several changes to the starting lineup when Arsenal face Lille in the UEFA Champions League. The Gunners will play just the second of nine games in just 28 days when they face Davide Ancelotti's side at the Emirates Stadium, so there may be plenty of rotation in an effort to keep big names fresh.
Speaking to reporters at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Monday afternoon, the Arsenal boss commented on the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the competition's final in May. Arteta said: "You're going to have to earn the right to get in that position again.
"We know how tough it is and how many times we've done it in the history of our club. So first of all, realise that, and tomorrow we're going to have a really tough opponent in front of us.
"They are very, very well coached. What Davide has done is, I think, remarkable. You can just see the way that they are competing and playing and the problems that they have caused to big teams, and tomorrow is not going to be different until we are ready for it."
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So, with that being said, journalists at football.london have selected the starting lineup to take on Lille.
Ryan Taylor
David Raya simply has to start in goal as Arsenal need to give themselves the best possible chance of securing top-eight qualification. Jurrien Timber then comes in for Ben White at right-back while Cristhian Mosquera should also start alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, though in my opinion, he needs to be subbed after 60 minutes providing the game is wrapped up.
At left-back, Myles Lewis-Skelly starts so Riccardo Calafiori can rest after Piero Hincapie's ankle injury. Martin Zubimendi would have been in line to start also but Bruno Guimaraes and Declan Rice get the nod.
Then in attack, I'd go with Noni Madueke on the right, Mikel Merino as the No.10 and Eberechi Eze on the left with Viktor Gyokeres as the striker. Max Dowman is also worthy of minutes later in the game.
Ryan's starting lineup: Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Guimaraes; Madueke, Merino, Eze; Gyokeres.
Jake Stokes
It should go without saying that David Raya must remain between the sticks. Unfortunately, neither Kepa Arrizabalaga nor Illan Meslier is at the level required to play for Arsenal, so if Mikel Arteta wants to secure automatic qualification to the knockout stages via the top eight, he mustn't change the goalkeeper.
At the back, I wouldn't be surprised if Cristhian Mosquera starts alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber replaces Ben White, and Myles Lewis-Skelly fills in at left-back to give Riccardo Calafiori some much-needed rest.
In the middle of the park, I think the Gunners boss will give one of Declan Rice or Martin Odegaard a rest, too. Having not started at the weekend, Mikel Merino and Bruno Guimaraes should start, regardless.
Eberechi Eze has only made one start for Arsenal this season, and it came against Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup third round... Arteta spoke about how he needs to earn the chance to play in his pre-match press conference, so surely there's no better time than Tuesday night, with Christos Tzolis still out and Bukayo Saka looking rather tired.
Up top, Viktor Gyokeres. Like Eze, he needs to start another game at some point; with so many fixtures coming up, Arteta must rotate his squad to: a) keep his big names fit, and b) keep his fringe players happy!
Jake's starting lineup: David Raya; Myles Lewis-Skelly, Gabriel Magalhaes, Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber; Mikel Merino, Bruno Guimaraes; Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke; Viktor Gyokeres.