Oleksandr Zinchenko will replace Kieran Tierney, while Eddie Nketiah will lead the line when Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion face off on Saturday.
Arsenal will hope to head into 2023 perched firmly atop the Premier League table when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday evening. And Mikel Arteta has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Takehiro Tomiyasu has resumed training this week and will be available for selection on Saturday. But Emile Smith Rowe (groin), Reiss Nelson (hamstring), and Gabriel Jesus (knee) will not be up for selection. And Arteta provided an update on Tomiyasu and Smith Rowe during his pre-match press conference.
The Arsenal boss said, “[Everything is good so far, apart from the players we already had out. Everybody has been training well. Tomiyasu] is getting closer and closer. He’s been training with us, so he’s available. [Emile] has made some big steps in the last week or so. He’s taken part in a few training sessions lately and he’s looking good. We’re looking forward to having him back soon.”
Tomiyasu will unlikely return to the starting lineup, with Ben White being the first-choice right-back. But the backline should see one change, with Oleksandr Zinchenko coming in for Kieran Tierney. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes should retain their central defensive partnership. And Aaron Ramsdale picks himself between the sticks.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka in the double pivot. And Martin Odegaard will be the most advanced midfielder against Brighton & Hove Albion. The Arsenal captain will pull the strings from a free role in the final third.
Moving on to the offensive unit, Eddie Nketiah stepped up well against West Ham United in Jesus’s absence. And Arteta heaped praise on the young striker’s mentality coming in as a backup option for the Gunners.
Arteta said, “That’s what we need from the players – we had a big blow with Gabby. Not having him had a big impact in the team but we always said that Eddie had the qualities. He needed the opportunities to show that and he did it again on Boxing Day.”
Nketiah will spearhead the attack against Brighton & Hove Albion, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli being the wide attackers. Tierney, Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga will be among the backup options on the bench for the visitors.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah