Arsenal will travel to King Power stadium for their Carabao Cup third-round tie against Leicester City. Let’s take a look at the team news and probable starting line-up?
The North London club made it two wins in a row in the Premier League as they got past a spirited West Ham side on Saturday. The Hammers provided a stern challenge and the Emirates club needed a late Eddie Nketiah goal to seal a 2-1 win.
As for injuries, the good news is that Kieran Tierney is available. Mikel Arteta confirmed after Saturday’s game that the defender is fine. Another boost is the return of David Luiz who came on as a late substitute over the weekend after suffering a neck injury during the Community Shield.
In goal, we could see a debut for new signing Alex Runarsson who joined the London club from Dijon. The Emirates club are expected to continue with the 3-4-3 formation which has been the norm recently.
The defense will see some changes with Gabriel making way for his countryman David Luiz. William Saliba is in line to make his competitive debut and is likely to be paired up with Kieran Tierney.
In midfield, there could be further rotation as Mohamed Elneny will replace Dani Ceballos with Granit Xhaka taking up the other spot. As for the wing backs, Hector Bellerin and Bukayo Saka are likely to be rested with Cedric Soares and Ainsley Maitland-Niles replacing them.
We will also see plenty of changes in the attack. Willian will make way for Nicolas Pepe who will be itching for a start and on the other flank, captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will certainly be rested. His spot will be taken by Reiss Nelson.
And to complete this youthful trio, Eddie Nketiah will start as the sole striker upfront. The Englishman got the winner on Saturday and with Lacazette rested, he will get another chance.
If he can keep up his goal scoring touch, the youngster will give Mikel Arteta a selection headache going forward. Leicester have a strong team so the Gunners will have their task cut out.
Predicted Arsenal Starting Lineup vs Leicester City 3-4-3:
Alex Runarsson, David Luiz, Kieran Tierney, William Saliba, Cedric Soares, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Reiss Nelson, Nicolas Pepe, Eddie Nketiah
