Friday, April 26, 2024

Saka and Xhaka start, 5 changes: How Arsenal are likely to line-up vs. Slavia Prague

Arsenal face Slavia Prague on Thursday evening in what is a must win game for the club. 

Arsenal have received a timely injury and fitness boost ahead of their important Europa League clash tonight. 

Arteta will want to make a number of changes to his team, given how poorly they performed against Liverpool on Saturday evening. 

Have a look how I think we will line up for the game below. Disagree? Create your Arsenal XI at the bottom of this article.

Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno
Leno is in a rough patch at the minute. In recent matches he has made some mistakes and that trend cannot continue. The German stopper needs to once again prove why Arsenal made the right decision to keep him ahead of Emiliano Martinez. 

Defenders: Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding, Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares
Arsenal’s defence was really poor against Liverpool. They struggled in possession and struggled to defend. With Tierney out injured, there’s now more issues for Arteta to solve. Cedric is likely to come in at left back, with Bellerin coming back on the right. Mari could come back in for Gabriel.

Midfielders: Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Nicolas Pepe
Arsenal will hope to welcome back Xhaka into the midfield after his illness. The Swiss international offers Arsenal lots in terms of structure and helping the team dominate possession. Saka should come back after an injury has ruled him out recently for both club and country. On the left, if Emile Smith Rowe is fit, he could start, but Arteta may opt for Pepe, who excelled on the left side when Cedric played at left back recently. Having a right and left footer on each side has been something Arteta has looked for frequently recently. 

Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Aubameyang has struggled recently, but when he’s had the right players behind him and played through the middle, he has excelled. The Arsenal captain needs to rediscover his best form and lead Arsenal to this trophy, like he did for the FA Cup last summer. 

How would you line up? Create your XI below and share it on social media!

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