Arsenal make their tricky away trip to Aston Villa, and Mikel Arteta is likely to lean towards naming an unchanged lineup.
The considerable debate ahead of the important, yet tricky away trip to Villa Park surrounded around Oleksandr Zinchenko and whether one of Jurrie Timber or Riccardo Calafiori must replace him. Yet, Mikel Arteta is unlikely to change his plans and could lean towards naming an unchanged Arsenal lineup to take on Aston Villa.
The pre-match press conference contained plenty of different questions and angles, as Arteta was also asked about some of his players. Timber was a big part of the session, with the manager hinting the Dutchman may not start on Saturday despite the popular demand for it.
In terms of injuries, only Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are out of the picture, while all the others were back in training after the opening-day action. Fabio Vieira also returned, although the midfielder is the subject of a return to former side FC Porto on loan, so he won’t make the Arsenal matchday squad for Saturday.
Beyond that, with the transfer window being in its latter stages, a few squad members miss out in anticipation of a move elsewhere. Eddie Nketiah, Jakub Kiwior, Aaron Ramsdale and Reiss Nelson are all linked. So, it will be interesting to see whether Arteta selects any of them in his matchday squad.
On the tactical side of things ahead of the Aston Villa clash, the raging debate about wanting to start with Timber may have an argument in theory. Arteta, in his comments during his press conference, did not give a clear picture of his selections, although he did hint that Timber might need some time to build things in the background, meaning he could be a useful outlet to finish the game rather than start it.
Arteta said, “He had a really good pre-season to a point, then we had to stop him because he had a little issue there, and we didn’t feel like he was ready. We have to build him up; we have to be cautious, so I’m not sure.”
The Arsenal manager was also asked whether Timber could play in midfield, which seems like a well-sticked area following the agreement for Mikel Merino. Either way, the Dutchman has a broader profile with his attributes to play in that central position, and it’s something Arteta did not deny.
Arteta continued, “He can play in various positions, his versatility is one of his biggest strengths. He’s been out for 11 months and it’s great to have him back.”
“He played some quality minutes the other day, like Alex did as well, I think Alex was really good as well, especially in the first 60 minutes against Wolves. Having the capacity in the squad to change things around and find other things that the team needs in that moment is something very valuable.”
Hence, in terms of selections, Arteta is leaning more towards naming an unchanged lineup from the Wolves win. The pending arrival of Merino may see some changes deployed later on, meaning Zinchenko might be the preferred starting option for the left-back berth heading to Villa Park.
Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are all primed to complete the back four for Arsenal, with David Raya settled firmly between the sticks. Last season Arteta did rotate his options and shape of that midfield, although when fit, he has seemingly preferred Thomas Partey to sit at the base, with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice on either side of the Ghanaian.
Gabriel Jesus is likely set for another game on the bench, as Kai Havertz will lead the line up front. Similarly, Leandro Torssard might again begin on the sidelines, with Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka set for the wide attacking roles against Villa.
Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
