Arsenal have travelled without Kieran Tierney, Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah, while Jakub Kiwior is set for his competitive debut.
Arsenal have travelled with a strong squad for their Europa League Round of 16 clash with Sporting CP. Mikel Arteta will be eager to rest some of his key stars ahead of the away game, as he might like to keep momentum and fresh legs for the Premier League title run-in.
A few players remained in London due to injuries and illness. Kieran Tierney has not travelled, while Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah have injury problems. Arteta got asked about the duo during his pre-match press conference in Portugal.
When asked about the injured duo’s chances to feature at the weekend, Arteta said, “Let’s see how they evolve, obviously, we have had a few issues in the last few days. We’re trying to accommodate everybody and get everybody in the best possible condition for tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus has resumed full contact training, and seeing him in full force has made Arsenal fans happy. Arteta remains cautious with his approach with the Brazilian. The manager has no plans to rush the forward back into action despite missing Trossard and Nketiah in the short term.
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On Jesus, Arteta said, “We will try not to rush him back, we will try to make a fair assessment between what he needs and when he’s comfortable, as well as give the team a boost that they will need in the next few weeks. Everything is going well, he needs time to get himself that confident and physical state to compete with a free mind. When he is free to do that we will throw him in.”
The team will have plenty of changes in personnel for the Sporting CP clash. Matt Turner will replace Aaron Ramsdale, while Arteta could hand Jakub Kiwior his full debut in central defence. The Pole could replace Gabriel Magalhaes and afford the Brazilian some much-needed rest.
Rob Holding could start in William Saliba’s place, while Arteta must decide on his full-backs. Tierney’s absence has caused a bit of a dilemma for the manager. He might still rest Oleksandr Zinchenko and use Takehiro Tomiyasu at left-back. In that scenario, Ben White should be their right-back.
Jorginho should replace Thomas Partey in midfield, while Granit Xhaka should come in for Martin Odegaard. Fabio Vieira could start on the right side of the midfield three. Arsenal are a bit thin in central midfield, and this is their best option for this midweek game.
In the attack, Gabriel Martinelli could lead the line for Arsenal. Reiss Nelson has given the manager no reason to keep him on the bench, as the winger will start on the right. Emile Smith Rowe could become the option on the left. Bukayo Saka will likely get a deserved rest, although he could come on from the bench in the game if needed.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Turner; Ben White, Holding, Kiwior, Tomiyasu; Vieira, Jorginho, Xhaka; Nelson, Martinelli, Smith Rowe
