Gabriel Jesus and Mikel Merino will return to the Arsenal starting lineup against Manchester United in the FA Cup third-round tie at the Emirates on Sunday.
Arsenal will aim to progress to the FA Cup fourth round when they welcome Manchester United to Arsenal for the third-round tie at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon. And Mikel Arteta has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Raheem Sterling has recovered from the illness that he has been struggling with in the last few days. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka is the most notable absentee, with the English international recovering from a hamstring injury.
In addition, Ben White (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), and Ethan Nwaneri (muscle) remain on the sidelines. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta discussed the goalkeeping situation and whether Neto would start against Manchester United.
The Arsenal manager said, “That’s always for the players who have not played many minutes, in his case as well because he was cup-tied in the Carabao Cup and David [Raya] has done so well. We will decide [if he plays] what’s the best option because historically the cup competitions have changed a lot. When you look at last week, the lineups years ago were completely different, so everybody has to be available and ready to play.”
Neto should make his Arsenal debut after missing the EFL Cup games due to being cup-tied. The North London club will line up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of the former Barcelona goalkeeper on Sunday. The backline should feature Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Riccardo Calafiori.
As for the midfield unit, Declan Rice will hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino providing the forward thrust from the central areas. Merino will replace Thomas Partey, who will drop to the bench.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus should return to the offensive trifecta, with Leandro Trossard dropping to the bench. The Brazilian international will join Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli in the final third, with Trossard and Sterling being backup options on the bench.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Neto; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli
