Arsenal go into Tuesday’s Premier League match against Aston Villa full of confidence on the back of impressive wins against Liverpool and Manchester City, the latter of which also saw them qualify for the FA Cup final.
The North London club are still in the fight for European football with two games remaining in the season, but it will be crucial to get past Aston Villa in order to keep up with the other teams in the running. The Emirates outfit will look to take maximum points out of the remaining games in order to get back into Europa League.
There are lineup changes expected from the FA Cup semifinal win and this is how Arsenal could line up.
In goal, we will once again see the impressive Emiliano Martinez who has been rock solid in the absence of Bernd Leno. There could be a change in the centre of defense with Shkodran Mustafi limping off against Manchester City with a hamstring injury. Rob Holding should come in and take his place. It is likely that he will be paired up alongside David Luiz and Kieran Tierney.
As for the midfield, Hector Bellerin should be given a rest and Cedric Soares will take his place.
On the opposite flank, there should be another change in the form of Bukayo Saka who will be coming in for Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Dani Ceballos might be rested making way and a possible start for Lucas Torreira.
Granit Xhaka who has been one of the club’s best players recently should retain his place.
In attack, captain and semi-final hero Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should retain his place on the left wing. His goals helped get the Gunners get through to the final and the forward is also chasing the Premier League Golden Boot. A further change can be seen in the striking department as Alexandre Lacazette might be rested for the Villa game.
The end of Eddie Nketiah’s suspension will get him back into the starting eleven. Nicolas Pepe was impressive at Wembley, but he too might be rested. Reiss Nelson, who scored the winner vs Liverpool will get another shot to show what he is capable of.
Arsenal FC Predicted Starting Lineup (vs Aston Villa) 3-4-3:
Emiliano Martinez, Hector Bellerin, David Luiz, Rob Holding, Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka, Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang