Arteta to make 4 changes | Predicted Arsenal XI vs Wolves as Rice returns & Madueke starts
Arsenal will aim to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium this evening.
The Gunners are presently two points ahead of second-placed Manchester City and three in front of Aston Villa.
City and Villa don’t play until Sunday, and Arsenal have the opportunity to pile the pressure on the duo with a victory against Wolves.
In his pre-match presser, manager Mikel Arteta provided a positive injury update.
He refused to rule out the possibility of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard making the matchday squad.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
David Raya has been ever-present between the sticks for the Gunners in the league campaign. He has eight shutouts for the season and should fancy another against a goal-shy Wolves outfit.
There could be one change to the backline with Jurrien Timber coming in for Christian Norgaard, who operated as a makeshift centre-back alongside Piero Hincapie against Club Brugge in midweek.
Timber has exceptional fitness levels. The Dutchman was left out of the Champions League game due to a knock, but he should reclaim the centre-back role alongside Hincapie.
Arteta seemed less committal about William Saliba after his recent ankle injury. The Spaniard said that Saliba could be fit for Everton. We don’t see the centre-back making the starting XI.
Gabriel Magalhaes (thigh) and Cristian Mosquera (ankle) are still sidelined for several weeks.
Elsewhere, Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly are poised to continue in the full-back positions.
Riccardo Calafiori has been the regular left-back in the league, but the Italy international is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the top-flight campaign at Aston Villa.
In midfield, it could be the perfect time for the manager to hand a breather to Martin Zubimendi. Mikel Merino could likewise drop to the bench after a heavy workload as a striker lately. The Spanish duo played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday.
Declan Rice is likely to return after a brief illness in the number six role tonight. For the first time in 10 weeks, Arteta could start with a midfield three of Rice, Odegaard and Eze.
The manager previously experimented with that combination against West Ham United in early October. It lasted for just 30 minutes before Zubimendi came on to replace Odegaard due to injury.
Further forward, Bukayo Saka is a nailed-on starter on the right wing. Arteta spoke fondly about Viktor Gyokeres in his presser and backed him to come good with more playing time after injury.
The Swede played just over an hour without scoring at Brugge. He is likely to retain his starting spot upfront, though Gabriel Jesus could replace him during the second half.
Jesus looked lively in his short cameo in Belgium, but Arteta may want to handle him with caution, given the Brazilian has just returned from a lengthy injury lay-off of 11 months.
Trossard returned from a calf injury last weekend only to pick up a minor recurrence at Villa Park. We believe he should not be risked with Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke in good form.
Madueke and Martinelli scored fantastic long-range goals in midweek. The former was the man of the match with a brace, and he could get the nod on the left wing against Wolves.
The 23-year-old has four goals in his last two starts against the West Midlands outfit.
How Arsenal could line up vs Wolves
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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