What’s really going on with attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil and manager Unai Emery? Who really knows, as the answers given for his omission from match day squads keep changing, but remain terse and vague every time. Emery seems hell bent on sending some kind of message to Arsenal’s highest paid and most accomplished player, but whatever that point is, it’s getting lost on everybody.
If Ozil isn’t going to be a part of Emery’s Arsenal, he still needs to play in order to showcase his skill set, talents and abilities to potential suitors. And for a huge game like this, where Arsenal’s top four ambitions hang in the balance, they need all hands on deck.
In our predicted Arsenal XI for the crunch clash at home versus Chelsea, we’re going with what would arguably be the most talented side possible. On a side note, goalkeeper Petr Cech, a club legend for both sides involved in this match, announced his retirement two days ago. Go here to see some of the tributes he received.
There is chatter out there that Chelsea are considering bringing him back in a coaching role now.
The Bank Arsenal FC Predicted line-up (3-4-3) vs Chelsea
Attack: Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Midfield and wing backs: Sead Kolasinac, Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka, Hector Bellerin
Back line: Laurent Koscielny, Sokraitis, Shkodran Mustafi
Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno
Chelsea at Arsenal FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday, January 19, 5:30 PM local, Emirates
Google Result Probability: Chelsea win 39%, Draw 28%, Arsenal win 33%
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea
Injury Report for both sides: go to this link
Manager Press Conference Videos and Quotes: coming Friday
Odds via Bet Fair: Chelsea win 11/8, Draw 27/10, Arsenal win 19/10
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Arsenal 2
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.