Mikel Arteta will rest several first-team regulars for the PSV Eindhoven clash, with Kieran Tierney and Fabio Vieira likely to start for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta will carefully tinker with his team selection ahead of the clash between Arsenal and PSV Eindhoven. He will primarily rest as many first-team regulars as possible, even though he has relied on a few during the UEFA Europa League campaign thus far.
Gabriel Magalhaes, Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have featured regularly in the competition, and Arteta could once again bring a few of them into the lineup. As for injury news, Marquinhos has missed the trip to Eindhoven with an illness. Mohamed Elneny, Emile Smith Rowe and Oleksandr Zinchenko remain sidelined.
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Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta was asked about Albert Sambi Lokonga, among other subjects. The Belgian midfielder has regularly featured in the Europa League but not domestically. Arteta asked the Belgian to prove his worth for the team and help Arsenal win games.
Arteta said, “We’ll see more, and he has to prove that what he’s asking for he can produce on the pitch. We’re looking for every single player to raise their level and get the right competition in the team, and when you play and perform in a way that we win and play well enough to win games.”
Matt Turner will replace Aaron Ramsdale between the sticks and aim to keep another clean sheet. Takehiro Tomiyasu could play at right-back, with Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes expected to form the central defensive partnership. Kieran Tierney will return at left-back, hoping to prove a point to Arteta ahead of the weekend.
Lokonga will play the holding midfield role against PSV. Martin Odegaard and Fabio Vieira should start beside the Belgian. With only a point needed to secure the status as Group A winners, Arteta could afford to rest Granit Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder could be an option from the bench if needed during the game.
Gabriel Martinelli will start on the left flank, while Reiss Nelson should replace Saka on the right side of the Arsenal attack. Eddie Nketiah is pencilled in to lead the line for the Gunners against PSV Eindhoven.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Turner; Tomiyasu, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Odegaard, Lokonga, Vieira; Nelson, Nketiah, Martinelli
