Friday, April 19, 2024

Monaco vs. Arsenal: Team News and Likely Line Ups

Arsenal

There are no fresh injury concerns following the Gunners’ 3-0 victory over West Ham, and Matthieu Flamini will make a full return to the squad after making a short appearance at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon.

January transfer, Gabriel, may be back in contention for a place after returning to full training on Sunday, but Wenger will be cautious to rush the defender.

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Frustration will continue over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who will continue his rehabilitation on a classic hamstring injury, he is still three weeks away.

Mikel Arteta, Matthieu Debuchy and Abou Diaby are all long-term absentees, however Wenger has recently mentioned that Arsenal captain, Arteta, will look to return in three weeks time.

Monaco

There are no fresh injury concerns for Monaco after their 3-0 win over Bastia at the weekend.

Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco is one of a few heavyweights for the French side that will sit out of the game in Monte Carlo, he recently suffered an ankle strain.

French international, Jeremy Toulalan, who is used to dominating play in the middle of the park, will miss this one through a recurring muscle injury.

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Geoffrey Kondogbia will also miss the game, he was one goalscorer in the first leg, and managed to dominate the individual possession rankings at the Emirates.

Dimitar Berbatov will return to the starting eleven after he was rested at the weekend, and will be more than ready to cause an upset on Tuesday night.

Likey Line-Ups

David Ospina will most likely feature between the sticks, and continue his impressive form in recent games. After last weeks performance by back-up keeper Szczesny, all Arsenal fans will be happy Ospina is finding his feet again following the clean sheet against the Hammers.

One change from the West Ham game, and Callum Chambers will lose out to Hector Bellerin, who returns to the side after his rest at the weekend. Bellerin will offer a better performance going forward and back, after Chambers struggled with players getting in behind him at the weekend.

Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny will sure up the centre of defence, with the vice-captain fully aware that Gabriel is breathing down his neck. Nacho Monreal will feature at left back again, but will face a tough challenge as we know Monaco will look to break and kill this game off early.

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Francis Coquelin and Aaron Ramsey will make up the defensive side of our midfield, and after an impressive showing in the week from Ramsey, this core of the team is showing huge confidence. Expect Ramsey to play higher up the field in an Arsenal side that have to push forward early on.

The front three of attack will feature what is surely the best attacking formation we can offer. Alexis, Ozil and Cazorla will continue their natural blend up top, with the three all interlinking to break down a tough defence. You will see them playing all over the shop on Tuesday night, but they are more than capable of providing and shooting themselves.

There’s no question from many Arsenal fans with who plays up top in Monte Carlo, with Olivier Giroud now averaging a goal every 1.71 games. The in-form man picked up a stellar performance at the weekend and has vowed to repay the fans after his horror show against Monaco two weeks ago.

Arsenal XI: Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Alexis, Cazorla, Ozil, Giroud
Monaco XI: Subasic, Toure, Carvalho, Abdennour, Kurzawa, Tavares, Moutinho, Silva, de Carvalho, Diallo, Berbatov

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