With crucial games against Barcelona (x2), Manchester United and Tottenham coming up, the Gunners cannot afford to risk the fitness of several first-team stars. For that reason, Arsene Wenger may have to name a ‘weaker’ side against Hull, although they should be more than capable of winning the game.
With the busy schedule ahead in mind, here’s how I would like to see Arsenal line-up for Saturday’s early kickoff.
Goalkeeper: David Ospina
The Colombian stopper is set to start this fixture, with Petr Cech earning a well-earned rest. Ospina knows that if Arsenal go out of the competition on Saturday, it may well be his last appearance for the club. No mistakes, please.
Right Back: Hector Bellerin
Although this may seem like a good time to rest Bellerin, we can’t really afford too, especially with his natural back-up, Calum Chambers needed in the heart of the defence.
Centre Back: Per Mertesacker
Mertesacker will be the most experienced in this back four and the player to have played most this season. It’s essential he plays as well as he did against Leicester in order to nullify the attacking threat of Abel Hernandez.
Centre Back: Calum Chambers
With Gabriel Paulista out for the foreseeable future, now would not be a sensible time to gamble on the fitness of Laurent Koscielny, who picked up a knock against Leicester. Keep the Frenchman fresh for the upcoming fixtures and give Chambers another chance to impress in central defence.
Left Back: Kieran Gibbs
Gibbs is not a bad player, but he has been put in the periphery due to Nacho Monreal’s excellence. The English defender may have his struggles defensively, but going forward he’s as good as most – hopefully he can create something down that left-hand side on Saturday.
Defensive Midfield: Mathieu Flamini
Flamini will need to do something special in this game in order to stop Francis Coquelin regaining his place. Flamini has struggled of late, but this game provides him with a good chance to show he still has something to offer.
Central Midfield: Mohammed Elneny
We’ve not seen much of our new Egyptian since his arrival in January, but hopefully, he gets a chance to impress with 90 minutes on Saturday. He’ll need to impress with Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere due to return in a matter of weeks.
Right Wing: Theo Walcott
Walcott has been limited to a place on the bench in recent games, but his vital equaliser against Leicester City showed he can still do the business. I’m almost certain that he’ll start this fixture and I think he should use this as a chance to try and win his place back.
Attacking Midfield: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The Ox has been given a number of starts recently, and it may be nice to hand him a chance in attacking midfield, to take some weight off of Mesut Ozil’s shoulders. I definitely wouldn’t play Chamberlain against Barcelona, so he can have his rest in midweek. I’d also like to see Alex Iwobi feature from the bench.
Left Midfield: Joel Campbell
The Costa Rican winger has been pushed down the pecking order ever since Alexis Sanchez regained fitness, but I think it’s a little unfair. He really started to find form in his last few games for the club. He simply must start this game as he can be a match-winner.
Striker: Danny Welbeck
We need Danny full match fit as soon as possible, and this game presents a great chance for the striker to get a good run-out. I think he should start the game as a striker, relieving the heavy load on Giroud’s shoulders. He’ll be on a high after that vital last minute goal against Leicester so let’s hope he can get on the scoresheet again on Saturday.
Ospina
Bellerin — Merte’ — Chambers — Gibbs
Flamini — Elneny
Walcott — Ox — Campbell
Welbeck
Rested: Petr Cech, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud.
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