Arsene Wenger definitely knows his favourite Arsenal starting XI and rarely deviates from that line-up in the Premier League matches, but having played two tough matches in three days, I would think injuries and tiredness will force changes against Everton.
Petr Cech is definitely in goal now that Ospina is out with a shoulder injury. Wenger has told us that Gabriel is fine now, so maybe he will start instead of Koscielny, who should be rested on a regular basis. Mertesacker will play as he never uses enough energy to get tired :-).
I think that Bellerin and Monreal will be retained as they seem to be crucial to the side now – and they don’t seem to get tired ever! Arteta is injured again, so it doesn’t look like Coquelin will get a rest, although he may need one shortly. It is the Ramsey replacement that will be intriguing, and Alexis Sanchez is also likely to start from the bench as he looked very fatigued on Tuesday. And then we will have the usual Walcott v Giroud debate….
So with all these changes in mind, I am going to go with this XI to put some fresh legs on the pitch…
Cech
Bellerin, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Monreal
Coquelin, Cazorla
Walcott, Ozil, The Ox
Giroud
With Sanchez out, I think we really have to put Walcott alongside Giroud, as we need someone who can replace Sanchez’s goals, whereas Oxlade-Chamberlain simply can’t score at the moment. But who could Wenger pick in front of the Ox? Joel Campbell? I don’t think so….
I doubt very much whether Wenger will pick my team, but I got it right against Bayern Munich so you never know! Which team would you pick given our injuries and fatigue?