Pick your Arsenal side to face Anderlecht tomorrow (plus injury update)

The good news for Arsenal is that Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta are now back to fitness and should figure in the squad, but the loss of Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Rosicky (not to mention Ozil!) after the international break has put a bit of a damper on the celebrations.

With the long-term injuries to Giroud and Debuchy, and with Sanogo still not recovered from his hamstring problem, Wenger will not have a large choice of players to choose from for tomorrow’s Champions League game in Belgium. One easy decision he will have is the goalkeeper as Szczesny is banned and David Ospina is also on the treatment table, so Martinez will definitely get a rare chance to impress.

Chambers will return alongside Mertesacker in place of Koscielny after his enforced absence on Saturday, and I expect Bellerin and Gibbs to play as the wing backs. The youngster Isaac Hayden was also injured recently and won’t get another chance to impress Wenger.

Arteta and Wilshere are likely to start in the middle with Alexis and Cazorla on the wings, although it is likely that Walcott (and maybe Campbell) may get some game time too.

Obviously Welbeck will be in the centre-forward position (why does it seem we only ever have one central striker fit ever), and I expect Ramsey to be allowed to start behind him tomorrow.

The Ox will probably be back on the bench after looking listless on Saturday, and Podolski and Gnabry could be sitting beside him along with Matthieu Flamini.

Will that side have enough to overpower the weakest side in our Champions League Group?

Tags Arteta Martinez Ramsey

29 Comments

      1. Honestly, I’m damn sick of seeing Per in that defence, he is a damn liability to Koscielny. His height is a waste, never put to advantageous use.

        I wish we had got Cahil back then, no one knew we were going for the big German snail.

        1. Hypocrite

          For two seasons before per we were calling for arsenal to sign him a defender who wins 70% of his arial duels can’t defend?

          Kosceilney is just as good as Cahill and we need two different types of cb in a partnership. Chelsea have terry we have per both have been really good last couple of years.

          1. @JamaineBryan, I’m sure u were laffin while typing that BS: “Chelsea have Terry, we have Per.”

            Can’t believe u compared Per to Terry.

            FYI (both meanings intended), if we had Cahil and Koscileny together in our defence, we’d probably play unbeaten.

            U speak of “arial duels”, have u seen all the goals against us from set pieces? Almost all came from Per’s angle. How about the recent game against Hull? What was he doing before that Hull’ player nodded in the ball?

          2. Mert wins the arial duels that come to him but not the ones he has to run to, misleading figures, Kos, although shorter, runs to engage players, Mert is like a kid trying to catch a tyre rolling downhill.

    1. Sorry mate but last I heard was that he is too busy doing personal appearances round country’s top hospitals!

    2. Any thing with out wilshere….
      ………………………..Danny……………………
      Sanchez……Carzola………….Ramsey…..Campbell
      ………………………Arteta………………………….
      Gibbs………..Defender………Chambers…..Bellerin
      ……………………MARTINZ…………………………
      if that’s assembled, either a win
      or a win is ours.

  1. …………………..martinez………………….
    bellerin….mertesacker…chambers…gibbs..
    …………….arteta………ramsey……….
    campbell……….cazorla………….sanchez
    ………………….Welbeck………………..

    Subs: (keeper), diaby, monreal, wilshere, podolski, ox, walcott.
    this is what i would go for…

    1. Yip @ryanh27. The line up is good and the formation is spot on. What is needed is a good manager to to psych-up the players and use the bench wisely.

    2. Wilshire is more likely to play than Campbell so santi will go left Sanchez right.
      I can’t see wenger starting both arteta n Ramsey so flamini will get the nod over arteta.
      4-1-4-1
      Sczezney ,bellerin,merts,chambers,Gibbs,
      flamini,
      Sanchez,ramsey,wilshire,cazorla
      Welbeck

      1. Is it a must that whilshare must be a starter……….Give carzolar the middle Role for once n not whilshare

  2. Watch Wenger play Ramsey and Wilshire TOGETHER in front of the mighty Arteta in that bloodly 4-1-4-1. If this happens we either getting a point or nothing. I’m willing to bet 1 pound with anyone. This is alot of money, some managers pay this extra amount to secure transfers of world class players. You can send the money via paypal, thanks.

  3. …………………..Martinez………………….
    Bellerin….Mertesaker…Chambers…..Gibbs..
    ……………………Wilshere………Ramsey……….
    Walcott(I miss him)….Cazorla………….Sanchez
    …………………………..Welbeck………………

  4. Wenger must avoid having Wilshere and Ramsey together in the middle. We all know it never works.

    Come January, I strongly feel Arteta and Podolski should be allowed to leave. I really can’t see what Arteta brings to the team, and Campbell should be Podolski’s direct replacement.

    And Sir_nogoal needs to go out on loan, Benik Afobe should be recalled.

  5. From reserve team to Champions league starters… injuries are a blessing to others 😉 Come On You Martinez and Huddart (both were in reserve last year, both start in ucl match) 😀 😀 😀

  6. I hope that Walcott is actually our missing X factor in the attacking department. That when he comes back, Arsenal starts to click into gears and starts banging goals for fun. I mean I know that we got a huge hole to cover in the defense area, but it does not really matter if we could score 4 to 5 each game, does it? Anyway, that’s just some thought and something I wish would be real. Fingers crossed. Lets focus on today’s match and win. COYG!!!

  7. ——————–Welbeck—————–
    ——Sanchez—-Cazorla——Joel——-
    ————Arteta——Coquelin———-
    –Gibbs—Chamber—Mer—-Bellerin–
    ——————-Martinez——————

    Sorry but I want to see a game where we don’t play with Ramsey or Wilshere, I think the last one was capital one cup v So’ton, not sure though. Flamini can play instead of Arteta if you want.

  8. ArnSam, agree with me or not, your statement “anything without wilshere” is either self acclaimed or biased and so hundred per cent unacceptable. that shows you watch football only for the fun of it. How can you condemn wilshere so easily like that. How many of our midfielders have been better than wilshere this season. Ramsey in particular remains our worst midfielder so far this season. My support, your support, everyone’s support is all what wilshere and others need.

  9. Our new keeper is injured, right? No keeper, no enough defender, this is bad. I may be thumb down for this, I think we miss Giroud, not bcos of his goal n assist but bcos of how he helped in defence. Our problem this season is defence, when we score they score us back, then We end up with lost or draw.

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