Arsenal XI vs Villarreal: Gyökeres starts, Madueke, Timber & Gabriel among subs
Arsenal take on Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium in today’s friendly.
The Gunners have had a good pre-season with victories over AC Milan and Newcastle United before suffering a 1-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur.
They will be aiming to return to winning ways against Villarreal at the Emirates today. Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta has named his starting XI.
David Raya continues in goal for the London giants.
In defence, Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly start in the right and left-back positions while William Saliba will partner Jakub Kiwior in central defence.
Christian Norgaard starts as the holding midfielder for the Gunners. Mikel Merino and Ethan Nwaneri will accompany the Dane in the centre of the park.
In the final third, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli start on the right and left wing respectively, while summer signing Viktor Gyökeres will lead the attack.
Gyökeres only had a short cameo against Spurs on his non-competitive debut for the Gunners in Hong Kong. The Swede will be determined to make his mark this evening.
The Gunners have just one more friendly against Athletic Bilbao this weekend before the much-awaited Premier League curtain-raiser versus Manchester United at Old Trafford on August 17.
Arteta will be aiming for back-to-back victories to find some form and momentum. Arsenal have a strong-looking bench today, which includes Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber.
The duo did not feature in Asia due to minor injuries, but they are back in the squad. Noni Madueke could also make his friendly debut, having recently joined the team in training.
Arsenal starting line-up (4-3-3) vs Villarreal: Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri; Saka, Gyökeres, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Setford, Mosquera, Gabriel, Ødegaard, Timber, Zinchenko, Madueke, Lokonga, Zubimendi, Rice, Dowman, Harriman-Annous.
The post Arsenal XI vs Villarreal: Gyökeres starts, Madueke, Timber & Gabriel among subs first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.