Arsenal are scheduled to face Southampton on the road in the fourth round of the FA Cup this afternoon.
The Gunners have been in fine form of late and they have won five of the previous six games in all competitions (one draw).
Mikel Arteta’s side needed extra-time to beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the third round of the competition.
The Saints will pose another testing challenge and Arteta will be hoping his side can come up trumps at St Mary’s.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Predicted Line-up:
Mat Ryan recently signed for the Gunners and he is available for the south Coast trip. However, the game may come too soon for him, given he has hardly played at Brighton & Hove Albion in recent months. Hence, Bernd Leno should feature in goal once more.
In the defence, there could be a couple of changes. Hector Bellerin was rested for the Newcastle United clash and his replacement Cedric Soares came up with a superb display with an assist.
The Spanish right-back will be eager to prove a point against the Saints. At the heart of the defence, Rob Holding could be given a breather, given he has played almost every league game since November.
In his place, Gabriel Magalhaes could come in to partner David Luiz. The Brazilian has recovered from the coronavirus and has been an unused substitute in recent weeks. At left-back, Kieran Tierney should be an automatic choice.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is the immediate back-up option for Tierney, but the England international has not possessed the same threat as Tierney going forward, considering he is not accustomed to playing in the role.
In the centre of the park, Mohamed Elneny could feature ahead of Granit Xhaka, who may be given a rest. The Egyptian should partner Thomas Partey. The Ghana international has recovered from a thigh issue and may need more minutes under his belt to find his peak form.
Further forward, Willian could be handed another start in the number 10 role. Emile Smith Rowe is ahead of him in the pecking order for the same position in the league and the 32-year-old has plenty to prove, having failed to impress since his summer switch.
Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli are likely candidates to feature on the right and left wing respectively. Pepe has endured another frustrating campaign and that has seen him drop down the selection order with Bukayo Saka favoured ahead of him.
He has shown a lack of confidence in the final third and it remains to be seen whether he can redeem himself with a strong display. Meanwhile, Martinelli has been unfortunate with injuries and he will have to once again work his way up the pecking order.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may lead the line this afternoon. The club-captain has recently recaptured his scoring form with three goals from as many games and will be aiming to continue his good spell in front of goal.
Predicted Arsenal line-up (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno; Hector Bellerin, David Luiz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kieran Tierney; Mohamed Elneny, Thomas Partey; Nicolas Pepe, Willian, Gabriel Martinelli; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
