Arsenal are set to host Chelsea in a blockbuster London Derby, and Mikel Arteta will ring the changes from midweek.
Arsenal are far away from Liverpool with handful of games left in the season, meaning there might not be a title challenge anymore. Yet, there is a need to keep up the composure to retain second spot for a third year running, as well as focus on the UEFA Champions League. Next up for the North London outfit will be Chelsea at the Emirates.
During his pre-match press conference, Arteta was asked about several topics, including the call-up to Myles Lewis-Skelly. The Gunners boss also touched on Ben White, while mentioning the need to manage Gabriel Martinelli’s load.
Firstly, he was asked about Bukayo Saka’s status, and Arteta responded positively by saying, “He’s getting closer, he’s stepping up and making very good progress I would say.”
Arteta was asked about Ben White with regards to him not being involved with England, albeit on a positive note this time around. The Arsenal boss was also quizzed on whether the defender can help the team in the time remaining in the season.
On whether Ben White can contribute to the side, the Gunners boss continued, “Very much. He’s been now involved for the last two weeks almost and he’s not reacting so that’s very positive and we know. Ben is a really important player for us, he brings something very different to the team dynamic and that’s ready to happen.”
Arteta also commented on whether Gabriel Martinelli is ready to play the centre-forward role. The Arsenal manager did emphasis the need to manage the Brazilian’s load after he made a return apparently ‘ahead of schedule’.
He said, “Now we have more options but it’s true that we have to really manage the load and he’s been a little bit ahead of schedule and that’s what we didn’t want to take and we don’t want to take anymore because we’ve been loading in with more minutes.”
In terms of team news, there are no new casualties barring the fact that Raheem Sterling will be ineligible to face his parent club. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber should return to the lineup, while Gabriel Magalhaes and Myles Lewis-Skelly retain their places in the back four.
Thomas Partey might replace Jorginho at the base of the midfield, with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice set to slot on either side of the Ghanaian. Oleksandr Zinchenko might have returned to the manager’s thinking after his impressive display against PSV, but the Ukrainian international is likely to deputise for Odegaard off the bench if needed.
Ethan Nwaneri might return to the lineup on the right-hand side, while Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino are set to start in the front three. Martinelli will be an option off the bench once more, and Arteta may not risk him from the start just yet, and probably after the international break.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard