Mikel Arteta to make three Arsenal changes vs Brentford as £6m star returns
Arsenal will be eyeing a third-straight Premier League win when they face Brentford on the road on Thursday evening.
The Gunners are six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the standings, but the gap could reduce before the Bees game.
Pep Guardiola’s side are in action against Fulham at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow, and could cut down the deficit to three points.
Ahead of Thursday’s encounter, manager Mikel Arteta could consider three changes from the 3-0 victory over Sunderland at home.
Left-back switch
Riccardo Calafiori was far from his best against the Black Cats and was guilty of gifting possession in his own half on multiple occasions. Arteta could prefer the defensive assurance of Piero Hincapie over him at left-back against the Bees.
Hincapie has vastly improved his defensive positioning as the season has progressed. In our view, the Ecuador international had his best game of the campaign against Chelsea in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Attacking changes
Gabriel Jesus was picked to lead the line over Viktor Gyokeres last weekend and could not make his mark against two imposing centre-backs in Omar Alderete and Dan Ballard. The Brazilian did not win a single duel and lost possession eight times.
He was caught offside on three occasions. Gyokeres replaced him at the hour mark and made an instant impact, scoring just six minutes later. The Swede put the gloss on his performance with a second goal in stoppage time against the Black Cats.
The Swede has now scored in back-to-back league games and has 13 goals for the campaign. He looks guaranteed to lead the line. Gabriel Martinelli could come on the left wing after a lovely counter-attack and assist for Gyokeres on Saturday.
The 24-year-old replaced Noni Madueke on the right wing, but he could start ahead of Leandro Trossard in midweek. The Belgian picked up a possible knock against Sunderland and could not carry on. Hence, he appears doubtful for the trip to west London.
Martinelli, who was signed for just £6 million from Ituano in 2019, has had a fine campaign despite his limited playing time. He has made 13 goal contributions from 31 appearances. We don’t anticipate Bukayo Saka or Martin Odegaard being fit to start after their recent injuries.
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