It was a disappointing end to the FA Cup campaign for Arsenal as they lost 3-1 to Manchester United. Now, they have a chance to bounce back in the Premier League against Cardiff City.
But to make this even more complicated, the Gunners are going to be without their first choice center backs in Sokratis and Laurent Koscielny. The Arsenal medical team have confirmed this on Arsenal’s official website.
So, this means manager Unai Emery will have to find some solutions to deal with the Injury problems in the squad. Let us see how the North London club might line-up for this fixture.
Formation (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper:
Bernd Leno will come back into the team in place of Petr Cech as the German has been the first choice keeper for Arsenal in the Premier League.
Defense:
This is where most of the problems exist and we can expect some shuffling from Unia Emery. Ainsley Maitland-Niles will retain his place on the right-hand hand side of defense. As for the middle, the most likely pairing will be Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka.
Though Emery has other options in Dinos Mavropanos and Nacho Monreal, he has already used Xhaka in that role and is more likely to continue with it. Sead Kolasinac is expected to start on the left.
Midfield:
If Xhaka is moved to center back, the midfield will have to be adjusted. The most likely candidate to fill that role would be Matteo Guendouzi who will be paired alongside Lucas Torreira.
In front of them, it should be a start for Mesut Ozil who has been out of favor with Emery in the recent past. On the flanks, it will most likely be Alex Iwobi paired alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The striker has played on the wings before and will be looking to drift inside to link up with the forward.
Striker:
If Aubameyang is on the wings, then Alexandre Lacazette will lead the Gunners upfront. The Frenchman has been in great form this season as he has shown with his all-around game. He is also an incredibly clinical finisher who has already scored against Cardiff earlier in the season.
The Gunners will be hoping to get the job done against a team who are struggling to stay afloat in the Premier League.
