After a mixed bag in pre-season, Arsenal will be looking to start the new campaign with a win in the Premier League curtain raiser on Friday evening.
It won’t be easy though, Brentford were flying in the Championship last season and they will have their fans to celebrate their promotion during the game.
Mikel Arteta knows he needs maximum points from this one with games against Chelsea and Manchester City to follow.
From pre-season selections and the latest team news, we have a pretty good idea of how Arsenal will line up for this fixture. Find out below what we predict below, and use our Create your Arsenal XI tool to create your own starting line-up!
Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno
There isn’t much competition at all for Leno right now, so he will certainly start between the sticks.
Defence: Kieran Tierney, Pablo Mari, Ben White, Calum Chambers
New signing White has been one of the shining lights in the last couple of pre-season games. Tierney is another nailed on starter, whilst injuries to Rob Holding and Gabriel mean Mari will get the nod alongside White. Chambers seems the most likely to get the nod at right-back, though Bellerin did start the clubs final pre-season game against Spurs.
Midfield: Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga; Nicolas Pepe, Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Lokonga should get the nod in midfield alongside Xhaka, who looks like he is here to stay. Given the injury to Thomas Partey, it’s probably useful for the club to have some continuity in midfield with the presence of Xhaka. Ahead of the midfield base, Pepe is likely to start on the right hand side, with Saka only having 30 minutes of pre-season football following his late return from international duty. Smith Rowe is the only option in that number 10 role and will certainly start. Aubameyang has been deployed from the left in pre-season and whilst this has been unsuccessful, it looks likely that he will also start this game from that position, given the lack of alternatives.
Striker: Alexandre Lacazette
With Aubameyang on the left, Lacazette is likely to lead the line. Whilst his long term Arsenal future is in serious doubt, he has looked lively in pre-season and nobody can doubt his commitment to the club.
How would you line up? Create your XI below and share it on social media!