Gabriel Martinelli might assume a starting role in the only change Mikel Arteta makes for the game between Arsenal and Leicester City.
Mikel Arteta would be keen on building momentum after the Aston Villa win as he takes Arsenal to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City. A win would take them five points clear at the top, at least temporarily, adding to the pressure on Manchester City.
During his pre-match press conference, Arteta was quizzed on several subjects, including the fitness of Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus. The latter is getting closer to a return, but the Leicester game will come too soon for the Brazilian.
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On Partey, Arteta said, “Not a lot of changes. The question mark is on Thomas. He hasn’t trained much, but it looks like he could be available, so let’s see how he trains today. Yeah, he’s a really important player for us, who we missed in the last few games. Hopefully, he can be available.”
Meanwhile, Arteta had a positive update on Jesus, “He’s progressing really well. He’s doing more and more on the field, and he’s not reacting [negatively], so that’s really positive. We want to have him as quickly as possible but also respect the timeframe we got from the doctor and the specialists. He’s really pushing the boundaries right now.”
On his team selection, Arteta will not make any drastic changes. Gabriel Martinelli could return to the starting lineup in place of Leandro Trossard. Other than that, Jorginho will assume the holding midfield role in the potential absence of Partey.
Aaron Ramsdale remains the undisputed choice in goal and will have the same back four ahead of him. Ben White will keep his place at right-back, while William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes assume their central defensive partnership. Oleksandr Zinchenko remains at left-back ahead of Kieran Tierney.
With Jorginho holding the midfield together, Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka will feature on either side of the Italian international. Despite the rough treatment against Aston Villa, Bukayo Saka will start on the right side of the attack, with Eddie Nketiah and Martinelli completing the front three for Arsenal.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Xhaka; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
