There is understandably an expectation that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will make several changes from their midweek Champions League match against PSV for the London derby with Chelsea.
Just four players - David Raya, Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes and Mikel Merino - remained for that game from the line-up that started last time out in the Premier League at Old Trafford for the 1-1 draw with Manchester United. Jurrien Timber, Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori also featured as second-half substitutes, with Merino and Rice the first players withdrawn.
That meant only Ethan Nwaneri, Thomas Partey and William Saliba did not feature, despite still being on the subs bench. Gabriel Martinelli, Kieran Tierney and Myles Lewis-Skelly also featured in both games.
Perhaps understandably, being the club captain, Arsenal featured Odegaard in the social media post previewing the Chelsea match on Saturday night. Then, on Saturday morning, their matchday image was a photo of Calafiori, Nwaneri, Saliba and Timber celebrating the fifth goal against Manchester City last month.
One player who did not feature that day, but could today, is Jorginho after he shared an individual matchday post on his Instagram story. The midfielder played every minute during the draw with PSV, the first he has done so since the 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in late January.
In November, he remained in place as an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. However, the Italy international featured in the previous three meetings with his former club, including as a substitute during the 5-0 home win when this fixture happened last season.
Jorginho has yet to lose in three matches against Chelsea, while also winning both previous fixtures in north London, the other being a 3-1 win months after leaving the Blues in 2023. Notably, this will be the first time they have played at the Emirates Stadium on the weekend, with the last two times they have met there being midweek matches.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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