Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should start while Pablo Mari is also set to feature when Arsenal take on Sheffield United.
Arsenal will be aiming to return to winning ways when they lock horns with Premier League bottom-feeders Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday night.
Heading into the game, manager Mikel Arteta could be without as many as four first-team players as David Luiz and Kieran Tierney have been ruled out definitively while Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe are doubts to feature as per the official team news on the Arsenal website. There is some positive news, though, with Calum Chambers back to full fitness and available for selection.
Given their current plight, Arteta would field his strongest possible XI so that the team is able to put an end to the recent winless streak. Bernd Leno is a confirmed starter in goal week in week out for Arsenal and that should stay the same against Sheffield United. But, there could be a couple of changes in the defence.
The returning Chambers should get the nod over Hector Bellerin at right-back whereas Pablo Mari should come in for Gabriel Magalhaes, who has looked quite shaky in recent games. Rob Holding and Cedric Soares will make up the rest of the backline for the Gunners at Bramall Lane.
Moving into the midfield unit, Thomas Partey is a certainty to feature in one of the pivot positions for Arsenal. And while there will be some temptation to rest Granit Xhaka, the Switzerland international is likely to continue alongside Partey ahead of Mohamed Elneny and on-loan Real Madrid star Dani Ceballos.
The selection gets tricky in the final third, given that both Odegaard and Smith Rowe could miss out on Sunday. This should pave the way for Willian to start as the No. 10 for Arsenal against Sheffield United. Nicolas Pepe, who made quite the impact in midweek against Slavia Prague after coming on from the bench, earned a lot of praise from his manager.
“We know that he is a threat, he has more goals than any other winger that we have and that’s a big plus for us,” Arteta said in the aftermath of the Europa League contest. Having scored a crucial goal, Pepe should have done enough to earn a starting berth against the Blades this weekend, with him and Bukayo Saka taking up the wide areas.
Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been come in for a lot of criticism lately. He will be aiming to silence the detractors when he starts as the centre-forward for Arsenal at Bramall Lane.
Arsenal Predicted XI: Leno; Chambers, Holding, Mari, Cedric; Partey, Xhaka; Pepe, Willian, Saka; Aubameyang
