Takehiro Tomiyasu is set to face time on the sidelines, and Kieran Tierney could start at left-back for Arsenal against Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta will be happy to have gotten through a congested set of fixtures in October unscathed and on top of the table. Having finished their UEFA Europa League campaign, Arsenal could now focus on the big game at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, one they aspire to win at all costs.
The only big worry is the injury Takehiro Tomiyasu suffered against FC Zurich. The Japanese defender hobbled off the pitch, shaking his head, which could be a hint at the severity of the issue. After the midweek game, Arteta spoke about the situation in his post-match press conference.
Arteta said, “We don’t know [what the issue is]. He felt something, and we didn’t want to take any risks. With the amount of games that we’re playing, it’s part of it. It can happen in training and games, and unfortunately, it happened to Tomi today.”
Arteta also spoke about the difficulties in getting the squad balance right while insisting every other player has to be ready at all times.
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He continued, “The rest of the players have to be ready because we’re going to need everybody now. We have managed the load of the players in the last four weeks because of the number of games we have played.”
“It is very difficult to get the balance and to get the right performances and win matches, and resting some players and keeping them fresh is always challenging; we have tried to do our best. Today we had bad news with Tomiyasu, but I think for the rest it has worked pretty well.”
Kieran Tierney could be the natural choice to replace Tomiyasu at left-back. However, Oleksandr Zincheko trained during the week and remained on the bench midweek. While Arteta has yet to choose Tierney as the obvious choice this season, he might pick him owing to the Ukrainian international’s lack of fitness.
The rest of the squad will be apparent, considering the players Arteta has preferred all season. To reiterate the choices, Ben White will continue at right-back, while William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes will resume their central defensive partnership.
Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka will remain Arteta’s preferred central midfield pairing. Martin Odegaard stays in the no.10 role, replacing Fabio Vieira in the lineup. Bukayo Saka was fit to feature as a substitute against Zurich and should be available to start versus Chelsea. Gabriel Jesus is the natural choice to lead the line, with Gabriel Martinelli in support from the left.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Ramsdale: Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus
