As Arsenal continue their Premier League title charge, their team news/fitness situation remains the same. Bukayo Saka, Max Dowman and Mikel Merino all remain out with injury ahead of the next match, a London derby at Brentford. Other than this trio, however, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has a fully fit squad at his disposal.
Merino posted a photo on his Instagram account today. It depicted him in his hospital bed, giving a thumbs up, and he captioned it: “Surgery done! Already closer to be back. Thank you so much to everyone for your messages and love. It really gives me even more energy to face the challenge. Vamos!”
Brentford FC vs Arsenal FYIs
Kick: Thurs. Feb 13, 8pm local, Gtech Community Stadium, London, UK
Google Result Probability: Brentford FC win 19% Arsenal win 57% Draw 24%
Premier League Form Guide, Standings: Brentford FC WLLWWW 7th, 39 pts Arsenal DDLWW 1st, 56 pts
Gunners Team News
It’s difficult to give a true timeline on when he might fully recover, and be ready to feature again. We don’t have any new updates on Saka or Dowman, so without any further injury or availability news to cover, let’s get to the match preview material.
That’s pretty much it, in terms of the FYIs, and basic stats, numbers and standings information. So with that in mind, let’s get to the staring lineup prediction.
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction at Brentford FC
David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori; Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Kai Havertz; Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.