Arsenal will line up under Arsene Wenger for the very last time at home before their long-serving manager bids adieu to the Emirates crowd on Sunday.
Arsene Wenger is set for an emotional farewell at the Emirates as he manages his last ever home game as Arsenal manager. This occasion will come against Premier League’s surprise package this season, Burnley who will be trying their best to finish above Arsenal on the table.
On the injury front, only Laurent Koscielny will be , after the Frenchman ruptured his Achilles against Atletico Madrid on Thursday and will be missing the rest of the season as well as the World Cup in the summer. Other than that, Mohamed Elneny will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.
Santi Cazorla was back into Arsenal first-team training after 18 months out, but is unlikely to take any part in the Gunners’ remaining games this season. Other than that, Wenger will have a full-strength team ahead of his last home game as Arsenal manager.
Petr Cech is likely to return between the sticks after Wenger had chosen David Ospina in recent games including the Europa League semi-final clashes against Atletico Madrid. The veteran goalkeeper had previously been out due to a few injury problems, but is now fit to start.
Koscielny’s injury will mean he will be absent from the squad. Calum Chambers will likely get the nod for the remaining three games of the season, partnering Shkodran Mustafi at the heart of the Arsenal defence. Hector Bellerin will start at right-back, and Nacho Monreal probably will be positioned at left-back.
Arsene Wenger provided his latest team news in his pre-match press conference, including an update on Koscielny. Crucially, he iterated that all of his players apart from the Frenchman and Mohamed Elneny are likely to be available.
“Apart from Laurent we have no new problems, but we got back late last night, so we still have to see who is available and who is less available. It’s too early to say how bad it is for Laurent, but it doesn’t look good. It’s his Achilles.”
Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka are expected to start in a midfield three, but Jack Wilshere might be dropped after a poor game against Atletico. As a result, Ainsley Maitland-Niles could get another chance to impress further if Wenger decides to include him in the playing eleven.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is available again after being cup-tied in the Europa League. Alexandre Lacazette is likely to be on the bench as a result. Wenger still has to make a decision on the other two players in the front three.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan could be in line to replace Danny Welbeck after only making the bench on Thursday and Mesut Ozil will likely keep his place for Wenger’s last ever home game as Arsenal manager.
