Arsenal will be aiming to return to winning ways when they face Southampton on the road in the Premier League tonight.
The Gunners have been in a good run of form in the league with four wins and one draw from the last five matches.
However, they suffered disappointment at the weekend with an FA Cup fourth round exit to the Saints and will be aiming to bounce back against the same opposition.
Mikel Arteta made multiple changes to the starting XI for the Cup clash which perhaps backfired and he is likely to revert to the regular starters for this game.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Predicted Line-up:
Bernd Leno is the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for the Gunners and he is expected to start ahead of loan signing Mat Ryan and Alex Runarsson.
In the defence, there should be a few changes from the Cup. Cedric Soares and Gabriel Magalhaes could make way for Kieran Tierney and David Luiz respectively.
Hector Bellerin was an unused substitute in the 3-0 win over Newcastle United where Cedric was preferred ahead of him, but judging by his early substitution against the Saints, he may be in line to start on the right side of the defence.
Gabriel appeared to be lacking match sharpness on his first game after recovering from COVID-19. The Brazilian should drop to the bench. Luiz should partner Rob Holding in the central defence.
Whenever Tierney has been absent, the Gunners have struggled to create sufficient chances on goal. The left-back has impressed with his crossing and overlapping runs. He is one of the first names on the team sheet at the moment.
In the midfield, it should be pretty much an automatic choice with Thomas Partey accompanying Granit Xhaka. Xhaka has significantly improved his displays since his return from suspension, but he did not have the best of games last weekend.
Further forward, Emile Smith Rowe is pretty much the regular pick for the number 10 role, having bagged three assists from the last five league games. His playing time could be hampered in the future with the loan signing of Martin Odegaard.
Elsewhere, Bukayo Saka should feature in his customary right-wing position ahead of Nicolas Pepe, who could not make the most of the start in the FA Cup fourth round. In the potential absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabriel Martinelli seems the likely choice to feature on the opposite flank.
Martinelli squandered one glorious chance to score the equaliser against the Saints last weekend. He will be eager to prove a point with the position of club-captain Aubameyang unclear due to personal reasons.
Up front, there should not be any debate over the inclusion of Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman has stood out during the Gunners’ revival over the past six weeks and has bagged four goals in his previous five league appearances.
Predicted Arsenal line-up (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno; Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding, David Luiz, Kieran Tierney; Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli; Alexandre Lacazette
