Arsenal will be without Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba for the Crystal Palace clash, with Rob Holding set to come into the lineup.
Arsenal will aim for a response after the disappointment of the midweek elimination from the Europa League when they take on Crystal Palace on Sunday. The Gunners were ousted by Sporting CP on penalties, with Gabriel Martinelli missing a key spot kick for the home side.
While Arteta said after the game they would have to focus on the remaining 11 games in the Premier League, the Sporting clash did come at a cost. The questions in the post-match conference and match preview were centred around the injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba.
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Arteta said, “Tomiyasu looks pretty serious, for his reaction straight away and what he said to me. Obviously, it’s very early and difficult to know. William, I don’t know. He had some discomfort and could not carry on, so we had to take him off.”
L’Equipe suggest Saliba could miss a ‘few weeks’ of action, which could put Arsenal in trouble, considering Tomiyasu looks likely to miss plenty of games. That leaves the Gunners short at the back, meaning Rob Holding must fill in for the Frenchman.
Other than those, Eddie Nketiah remains absent and will only return after the international break. Gabriel Jesus started and played the first half against Sporting, meaning he could return to the bench to allow Leandro Trossard to start.
Aaron Ramsdale should remain in goal despite the error in midweek. Ben White should continue at right-back due to a shortage of options in the position. Holding will likely replace Saliba in central defence, while Gabriel Magalhaes will retain his place. Oleksandr Zinchenko remains the favourite at left-back, with Kieran Tierney on the bench.
Thomas Partey will return in the base of midfield, with Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka on either side. Bukayo Saka will resume playing on the right side of the attack, with Trossard leading the line. Martinelli will complete the front three, looking to bounce back from the midweek disappointment.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; Ben White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
