France international Alexandre Lacazette was a relieved man on Sunday after he marked his return to the playing field with a goal against Stoke City.
Lacazette had a tough introduction to 2018, where he struggled to find his feet in front of goal, and his substitute performance against Spurs, in particular, did not go well with a section of the fans after he missed a glorious opportunity to share the spoils in the north London derby.
The France international had endured run with just one goal in 13 matches, but he managed to put this record to an end as he converted a late penalty in the 3-0 triumph over the Potters.
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Shortly after, the Frenchman underwent a knee surgery – as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang established himself as the main striker, but the Gabon international showed his generosity on Sunday as he sacrificed his hat-trick in order to help Lacazette return to scoring form.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has refused to confirm whether Lacazette will start during the Europa League quarter-final first-leg against CSKA Moscow on Thursday night.
However judging by the Frenchman’s sharpness on the field versus the Potters, and there is a strong possibility he may get the nod upfront.
Should this be the case, Danny Welbeck will be expected to return to the bench despite bagging a brace in the previous European outing against Milan.
Aside from this, we should see the return of Laurent Koscielny in defence with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Granit Xhaka also making their comebacks in the lineup.
