Mikel Arteta might name an unchanged Arsenal lineup to face Sheffield United, and three players could be back in the matchday squad.
Arsenal will be vying for a seventh straight victory in the Premier League when they take on bottom-placed Sheffield United. Mikel Arteta’s squad was also boosted by some critical injury updates, as there is a chance that the trio of Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu will return.
During his pre-match press conference, Arteta gave further updates, indicating a potential return for Partey to the matchday squad. The Arsenal boss also spoke about Zinchenko and Tomiyasu’s fitness while insisting that he may not take a risk on the fitness of Gabriel Jesus.
Partey, who has been missing from action for over three months and played his last game in October, has resumed training for a while now and could make the matchday squad. Should that be the case, it is a vital boost for Arsenal, given the midfielder’s importance in the team.
Arteta said, “Thomas had a session before the last game and now he’s done two consecutive sessions so he should be part of the squad on Monday.”
Meanwhile, he spoke about Zinchenko and Tomiyasu’s potential inclusion in the squad for Monday night. “Those ones are possible but we have to wait and see, especially with the last two sessions that we have on Saturday and Sunday. If that’s the case, they might be available on Monday.”
Finally, on Jesus, Arteta suggested he was not in the mood to take unwanted risks with the Brazilian’s fitness, having seen him struggle with niggling problems, particularly to that knee. The Arsenal No.9 was an unused substitute last weekend against Newcastle United, meaning he’s fit and could feature on the bench again.
Arteta said, “Well he’s fit enough, but knowing how long he will last is something different probably, but we didn’t want to take any risks after the result that we had against Newcastle. Obviously we need him fit. He’s a massive player for us and we want to make sure that now we load the players in the right way.”
As for the team selection, Arteta could name an unchanged lineup to take on Sheffield United. David Raya will be in goal, while Jakub Kiwior will want to continue his recent good run from the left-back role. William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White will complete the back four for Arsenal.
Jorginho might retain his place after yet another impressive midfield display against Newcastle United, with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard beside him for company. Arsenal are undoubtedly boosted by the availability of Partey and Fabio Vieira on the bench. Still, Arteta will lean on the side of caution when it comes to using them straight away.
Bukayo Saka will aim to continue his goalscoring form for Arsenal, while Kai Havertz will continue operating in that false-nine role. Gabriel Martinelli will start on the left-hand side of the attack, as Arteta will use the likes of Leandro Trossard at some stage in the game against Sheffield United.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Odegaard, Rice, Jorginho; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
