Arsenal make the trip to east Midlands to face Leicester City in Saturday’s late Premier League showdown. The north London giants are already six points adrift of the top four places but they can close that gap, should they get the better of third-placed Leicester on the road. Otherwise, a negative outcome could drop them nine points off the Champions League spots and potentially invite further criticism towards manager Unai Emery.
Formation: 3-4-1-2
Predicted Lineup:
There are no doubts in regards to the goalkeeping position. Bernd Leno should retain his spot between the sticks, given he is the undisputed choice for the Premier League duties.
In the defence, Emery may switch to a three-man backline which was utilised in the midweek game. Sokratis and David Luiz are pretty much assured of their spots and Calum Chambers could slot as the third central defender.
At right wing-back, Hector Bellerin remain the clear candidate to start after sitting of the bench through the entirety of the midweek Europa League clash. On the opposite side, Sead Kolasinac is a strong contender to feature ahead of Kieran Tierney, who is still carrying a minor injury concern.
In the midfield, Matteo Guendouzi has remained ever-present through the league season and he will definitely start. In the absence of Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos (hamstring), Lucas Torreira may accompany the Frenchman in the centre of the park.
In the attack front, Nicolas Pepe could miss out for the second league game on the bounce. The Ivorian has yet to score from open play this season and it has become quite concerning especially in the top-flight where he has lacked the end product in front of goal.
In this case, Mesut Ozil should feature in his preferred number 10 position while it could be the combination of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to start upfront. The duo splendidly combined for the Gunners’ only strike in the frustrating draw against Wolves last weekend.
Predicted Arsenal lineup: Bernd Leno, David Luiz, Calum Chambers, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Hector Bellerin, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi, Sead Kolasinac, Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette.
How Arsenal will line up vs Leicester City
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