Mikel Arteta is unlikely to make wholesale changes to the Arsenal lineup, but Oleksandr Zinchenko could come in for Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Arsenal are set to resume their Premier League campaign after a triumphant midweek clash against Sevilla when they host Burnley at the Emirates on Saturday. Mikel Arteta would want his side to return to winning ways and will want to think of last weekend’s controversial result as a mere blip.
During his pre-match press conference, journalists threw in a lot of questions on varied subjects, including Thomas Partey, squad fitness and whether Arteta was concerned about the pressure on Kai Havertz despite his recent good performances.
On the squad news, Arteta said, “You mention we have a few. A few are still in contention. We need to give them 24 more hours to give them a chance to be involved in the game, but we won’t know anything until tomorrow.”
Arteta is talking about Martin Odegaard, Takehiro Tomiyasu and probably Eddie Nketiah. Nketiah and Tomiyasu were present in training, but the Gunners skipper remained absent. Subsequent news about him not joining up with the Norway squad more or less confirmed the possibility of missing the Burnley clash.
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Meanwhile, there have been reports during this week about Partey potentially missing the remainder of 2023. Arteta rubbished those and insisted the midfielder consulting a specialist does not necessarily increase the timescale of his injury.
Arteta continued, “No, hopefully not. He’s progressing really well but it was a significant injury. Hopefully it’s going to be weeks and not months and he’s working towards that. He needs support and hopefully the injury will heal in the right way and we’ll have him back, because he’s a big player for us.”
Meanwhile, Havertz has been performing well in that assigned midfield role. In the last two games, he has effectively replaced Odegaard in the right-eight position and proved his effectiveness. When asked about the mounting pressure on the German, Arteta simply said he was happy with his performances.
Arteta said, “I don’t know. I can tell you that I’m really pleased with the way he’s performing. Obviously, looking at the numbers, just specifically the numbers of what he’s producing in front of goal, those have to be improved and we have to improve them, but in many other areas of the pitch, what he gives to the team at the moment is really important.”
As for his selections, Arteta is unlikely to make wholesale changes to his side but will lean towards caution regarding Tomiyasu’s selection. Given the Japanese defender’s troublesome injury history, Arteta may not want to risk him from the start and instead use Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back.
Jorginho will continue to sit at the base of the Arsenal midfield, with Declan Rice and Havertz on either side. Despite the concerns with Bukayo Saka, the winger will likely return to fitness and start on the right side of the attack.
Gabriel Martinelli will remain on the left after a stunning performance in midweek. As for the central striker role, Arteta could make a late call between Nketiah and Leandro Trossard. Still, the latter’s performance against Sevilla will likely compel the manager choose the Belgian to lead the line.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Havertz, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
