Arsenal travel to the Amex Stadium to take on Brighton in the Premier League in midweek. Will Mikel Arteta make any changes to the team that surprised everybody to beat Chelsea?
The North London club finally won a game in the Premier League as they were able to best their local rivals, from the west part of London town, 3-1. They will hope that is a turning point, and a win on Tuesday would give some added credibility to that narrative.
If they do so, it will give them some momentum towards getting back into the top half of the table.
As for the team news, one player who will be missing the game is centre back Gabriel who is in isolation after being in close contact with someone who had COVID. Both Willian and David Luiz will also be missing as they are ill.
The Gunners will setup in a 4-2-3-1 formation again, as it gives them more impetus in attack. Bernd Leno will be the keeper with Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney as the full backs.
Rob Holding and Pablo Mari are likely to continue as the centre back pairing. The full backs have a crucial role to play in creating opportunities from the wide areas.
Granit Xhaka will remain in midfield after his imperious display on Saturday. He was partnered with Mohamed Elneny, but the Egyptian will now drop to the bench. Dani Ceballos will be brought into the team to play with the Swiss.
After impressing against Chelsea, Emile Smith-Rowe will surely be given another chance to start. His dynamism and skill on the ball, through the middle, proved to be a huge problem for the Blues. One change that will happen is that Gabriel Martinelli will be rested, and Nicolas Pepe will be brought in his place.
On the other flank, Bukayo Saka will retain his place and look to add to the goal he scored at the weekend.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will return to the team after being on the bench for the Chelsea game. He will be replacing Alexandre Lacazette and will see this game as a chance for him to score. With a proper creative force behind him, he should have enough service to do so.
Arsenal Predicted Starting XI Against Brighton (4-2-3-1):
Bernd Leno, Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding, Pablo Mari, Kieran Tierney, Dani Ceballos, Granit Xhaka, Nicolas Pepe, Emile Smith-Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang