Takehiro Tomiyasu is a significant doubt for the visit to Luton Town, with Ben White ready to resume his role at right-back for Arsenal on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta might resist the temptation to rotate too much, considering the high stakes of winning a Premier League away game. Arsenal make the short trip to Luton Town on Tuesday, as they have never won at Kenilworth Road in their last ten visits here.
During his pre-match press conference, Arteta spoke about the fitness of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, and Bukayo Saka, reaching 200 appearances for the club among other things. The microscope will be on the Japanese international’s availability, as there are concerns about another potential injury to the defender.
Tomiyasu went down clutching his calf against Wolves at the weekend, which made Arsenal fans worry about a layoff. The supporters have seen it before with the Japanese international and how his absence has cost the team. Arteta was cautious but optimistic as he reiterated the defender was taken off as a precaution rather than anything serious. He also did not confirm about using him for Tuesday night.
Arteta said, “We assessed him after the game, we took him off as a precaution so we’ll wait. Whether it’s useful to use him or not, we will decide tomorrow. He’s a strong boy and hopefully he’ll be fine.”
Luton Town vs Arsenal Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
Meanwhile, Ben White, who has spent time on the sidelines recently, could come in for Tomiyasu. Arteta confirmed the English defender had returned to full fitness and is now ready to compete in this team again. Arteta continued, “After his injury and the way we decided to manage his load, he’s feeling perfect and back to fitness. He played some minutes and he’s now in a good place.”
Bukayo Saka made his 200th appearance for Arsenal in the win over Wolves and has already had a stellar start to the campaign. Reflecting on the achievement, Arteta cited his ‘consistency and availability’ as significant factors for the winger’s success in this side.
Arteta said, “That’s not bad at his age! It’s gone really fast but it shows again the consistency and the availability that he has had over the last few years. It has been tremendous and the impact that he’s had in the team has been really positive.”
On to team news, and Arteta might use this game as an opportunity to tweak his lineup a bit based on the opponent. The backline will see Ben White in place of Tomiyasu, while Jakub Kiwior could get a chance to shine at the expense of Oleksandr Zinchenko. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, along with David Raya, will keep their places in the defence.
Kai Havertz might feature in midfield despite the glowing performance of Leandro Trossard on Saturday. The German could offer something different in a challenging away game, something Arteta might prefer. He could also keep rotating in this area of the lineup for the upcoming games.
Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard will keep their places. Similarly, the Arsenal frontline will look as it did on Saturday. Saka and Martinelli will continue to operate on the wings, with Gabriel Jesus, who is currently enduring his longest league run without a goal or assist, leading the line.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
