Arsenal will take on Leeds United at the Emirates in the EFL Cup Round of 16 on Tuesday, so let’s take a look at the predicted lineup.
The Gunners produced arguably their best performance of the season as they got the better of Aston Villa on Friday. They were excellent in all departments and will feel confident ahead of Leeds visit. There are likely to be a few changes to give some of the players a rest.
We are going to see the team line-up in a 4-2-3-1 formation that has Bernd Leno in goal. More changes can be expected in the defence with Cedric and Rob Holding coming in for Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White respectively.
Gabriel is likely to remain as the other centre back to add some pace to deal with Leeds’s attackers. With Kieran Tierney a doubt for this game, Nuno Tavares should continue as the left-back.
One player that is sure to get a rest is Thomas Partey who would most likely be replaced by Mohamed Elneny. Arteta has to decide between Albert Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland-Niles to be the other central midfielder.
Given that the Belgian played on Friday, it would make sense to give him a breather. Both the starting midfielders have to be wary of the passing and pressing qualities of the visitors.
As for the midfield trio, Martin Odegaard should continue as the central attacking midfielder. And on the wings, it is going to be Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli. These two should look to use their pace to stretch the Leeds defence and create scoring opportunities. If they are able to do this on a regular basis, the Gunners should easily get on the scoresheet.
Since both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started on Friday, they should be on the bench for this game. Eddie Nketiah who has looked good in this competition will start as the centre forward. It will not be easy to get the better of Leeds, but the north Londoners have the talent to pull off a good result.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup Against Leeds United (4-2-3-1):
Bernd Leno, Cedric, Rob Holding, Gabriel, Nuno Tavares, Mohamed Elneny, Ainsley Maitland Niles, Nicolas Pepe, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah
Read more: Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa: Four talking points from the game
