Arsenal host Ludogrets on Wednesday night knowing that a win would all but ensure Champions League qualification to the last 16 of the competition.
The Gunners picked up a point away to PSG in the opening fixture and followed that up with a comfortable 2-0 home win against FC Basel. They now face Ludogrets both home and away and Arsene Wenger will hope his side can pick up 6 points from those games, putting the team in with a great chance of topping the group.
Back 5: David Ospina, Hector Bellerin, Skhodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Kieran Gibbs
Ospina will come in for the Champions League fixture again after two good performances in the opening games. Elsewhere it may be a good idea to give Kieran Gibbs some game time. He has looked sharp when coming off the bench, whilst Nacho Monreal looks a bit out of sorts. Careful rotation is needed throughout the season and now seems a good chance to bring in the professional and talented Gibbs.
Midfield 5: Mohammed Elneny, Granit Xhaka; Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
I can forsee a little re-shuffle in midfield for this one. Ozil has played a lot of football and it may be wise to give him a little rest, especially with the impressive Mohammed Elneny fresh and ready to come in – this will allow Cazorla to play further forward. Elneny alongside Xhaka will give the Gunners protection in front of the back four, whilst both players are capable of doing damage going forward. On the wings, Oxlade-Chamberlain has been very disappointing but it is important that he is still given some minutes to help change his form and continue his development. I think he could come in for Iwobi, who is in great form but has played a lot recently – against Ludogrets Oxlade-Chamberlain has no excuse not to perform. I think with these changes there is enough to freshen the team up but also enough consistency to keep momentum going. Xhaka is suspended domestically now so there is no need to rest him for this one. Walcott is in his rhythm and in great form in the Champions League so lets keep some consistency and put him on the right.
Striker: Lucas Perez
It’s time to unleash Lucas. He’s only had 2 starts since his £17million move to the club, and he deserves more first team exposure. From what we’ve seen on him, he has all the right attributes to succeed at the club, he just needs time to adjust and get used to the team. To do that, he needs to be given first team chances – so let’s give him a run out in this fixture.