Arsenal host Norwegian side Molde in the Europa League on the back of a win over Manchester United this past weekend. Given what we know of the team news, what kind of squad will Mikel Arteta go with this time around?
The Gunners ended a 14 year wait for a win at Old Trafford on Sunday thanks to a goal from captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. They will want to take that domestic momentum into Europe and register their third successive win in the competition.
In goal, Alex Runarsson is likely to continue his presence in between the sticks after making his debut last week. With the North Londoners lining up in their usual 3-4-3 formation, we will be seeing three centre backs.
Those will be Shkodran Mustafi, Granit Xhaka and Sead Kolasinac. It is likely that the three will be brought in to give some rest to the trio that starred in the win over United. Further changes will be made in the wing back area where Hector Bellerin and Bukayo Saka will not be playing.
Cedric Soares and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are likely to come in. Both of them will have a key role in providing the North London club with some width to help with the build-up play.
We can expect more rotation in other areas as well so that the squad stays fresh for the weekend game against Aston Villa.
The midfield duo will certainly be changed with both Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny not playing. Instead of them, it will be Joe Willock and Dani Ceballos. The former was impressive against Dundalk and will want to put in a similar performance. Ceballos did not play at Old Trafford so will be fresh and ready to go.
In attack, we are going to see the same trio that took to the field last weeks Europa League’s fixture. Nicolas Pepe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson are going to be starting the game. They will be replacing Willian, Alexandre Lacazette and Aubameyang.
The three youngsters complement each other very well and their pace and skill will surely cause Molde some serious problems. Getting a win on Thursday will further boost the chances of Arsenal finishing on top of their group and that’s what Arteta is obviously hoping for.
Predicted Arsenal Starting XI Against Molde (3-4-3):
Alex Runarsson, Shkodran Mustafi, Granit Xhaka, Sead Kolasinac, Cedric Soares, Joe Willock, Dani Ceballos, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Nicolas Pepe, Eddie Nkeitah, Reiss Nelson