Arsenal are set to face Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night in what is a must win game. Here’s how they are likely to line up.
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
I severely doubt that Arsene Wenger would risk leaving out Cech again after David Ospina’s performances in the opening two fixtures of the group stages. Cech has the experience to handle games like this, and I am confident he will deliver if he’s needed.
Right Back: Hector Bellerin
Bellerin looked a little rusty against West Brom, but I am confident he will be back to his high flying best against Zagreb. Bellerin’s presence on the right plays a huge part in our attacking moves, so let’s hope he is in the mood to make a difference.
Centre Back: Gabriel Paulista
Per Mertesacker has been on poor form lately and Gabriel deserves a run in the first eleven. Arsenal need to attack in this game and the pace of Gabriel allows for us to play with a high line and pile the pressure on the travelling side.
Centre Back: Laurent Koscielny
I think Wenger may be tempted to leave Koscielny out and start Mertesacker alongside Gabriel – but if it were my choice and Koscielny was 100%, then it would be this duo that would start. Koscielny’s presence adds confidence throughout the back four and the whole team, I hope he is in the right frame of mind to play.
Left Back: Nacho Monreal
Mr.Consistent will be at left back again. He may need to be a little bit more attacking than usual if we are to break down Zagreb. In an ideal world we will win this one by 2 or 3 goals, so Monreal will want to be playing quite high up the pitch. If Gabriel and Koscielny play, it’s more realistic that our full backs can bomb on, because our central defensive duo will have the pace to protect against the break away.
Defensive Midfield: Mathieu Flamini
Flamini is almost certainly going to be the man to stand in for Francis Coquelin, for now. The Frenchman put in a good performance against Tottenham in the League Cup, but apart from that he has failed to play at a consistently good level for some time now. He will need to find some form in Coquelin’s absence, let’s hope it starts today.
Central Midfield: Santi Cazorla
The little Spaniard will be upset with his penalty miss at the weekend, but he has the confidence and personality to bounce back. Whilst he may be a little tired, we cannot afford for him to sit out of this one. I hope he can score his first Champions League goal and then use that to find some form.
Attacking Midfield: Mesut Ozil
The orchestrator. Ozil is going assist crazy this season and he will need to continue in this vein of form if the Gunners are to triumph against Zagreb. With the 27 year old set to sign a new £140,000 deal, what better way to celebrate than with a man of the match performance in the Champions League? Just a thought.
Right Wing: Jeff Reine-Adelaide
The 17 year old was handed a place on the bench ahead of Alex Iwobi on Saturday, showing yet again how highly Arsene Wenger rates the Frenchman. With Joel Campbell so far failing to convince from the wing, Jeff may be in line for a shock start for this one. If you’re good enough, you’re old enough – and it looks like Wenger believes he is. Aaron Ramsey is back in the squad, but it’s unlikely he will start the game – perhaps for the last 30 minutes, after the Gunners have hopefully already won the game.
Left Wing: Alexis Sanchez
The Chilean may be worn out, but he showed glimpses of energy against West Brom, and until Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are fit enough to feature, Wenger has no real option but to start Alexis. He needs to be up for this one and make the difference, like we know he can.
Striker: Olivier Giroud
He doesn’t have much competition for this role with Theo Walcott injured, but Giroud does deserve to start due to his impressive goal scoring run lately. With Zagreb likely to sit deep for much of this game, Giroud’s presence will be needed to help break them down, we may have to resort to set pieces and crossing to break them down, and that’s where Giroud becomes dangerous. It may be a long evening, but we cannot afford for him to get frustrated like he did in Croatia.