Arsenal host Fulham at the Emirates as Unai Emery looks to bounce back from their disappointing result against Liverpool.
Had Arsenal been in a dire position on the table, the Liverpool defeat could have been catastrophic in the top-four chase. The Gunners remain in touching distance with Chelsea, with five points separating the sides. Arsenal now face Fulham at the Emirates with a chance to keep that top-four chase alive.
Unai Emery continues to deal with injuries to key defensive personnel, with Hector Bellerin the most crucial player among the absentees. Nacho Monreal is also sidelined, although he might yet make the cut for the side when he is assessed before the game.
Rob Holding, however, remains out for the season. Shkodran Mustafi did make his return last weekend, although Arsenal’s official team news still suggests there might be a hamstring problem to be assessed late on.
Emery could deploy three central defender at the back, something that he seemingly prefers to balance the attack and defence. Thus, if fit, Mustafi should start alongside Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles could retain his place in the side, but in a right wing-back role with Sead Kolasinac likely to man the other side. Bernd Leno will continue his stance in between the posts ahead of Petr Cech
Emery has a decision on his hand to choose his attack, and Alexandre
Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka are set to complete the central midfield puzzle as Emery looks to feature a two-man formation here, with Matteo Guendouzi sufficing with a place on the bench.
Meanwhile, Emery has a decision on his hand to choose his attacking unit, and Alexandre Lacazette seems likely to be the man coming back into the side as the central striker, and with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang more or less an automatic starter, only the right side of the attack remains up for grabs. For this position, Emery has options in Alex Iwobi and Aaron Ramsey.
Emery did hint at a possible selection of Iwobi in the aftermath of the Liverpool defeat. The manager said, “Alex Iwobi did well against Liverpool. After some matches where he didn’t play very well, he played 90 minutes with a good performance.”
Iwobi seems the likeliest to make the cut for the final spot in the side, with Mesut Ozil missing out yet again, while Ramsey should drop down to the bench.
