My lineup for the match against Liverpool
Mikel Arteta’s men will be hoping to bounce back from the defeat against Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Gunners travel to Anfield hoping to avoid a third defeat in a row in all competitions. The latest news will certainly not help the Arsenal manager in doing just that.
Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu will all miss the game against Jurgen Klopp’s men.
🚨 MATCHDAY!
🆚 Liverpool
🏆 #CarabaoCup
🕗 Kick-off: 7.45pm (UK)
🏟 Anfield🔜 #LIVARS pic.twitter.com/rMmcgOkjFO
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 13, 2022
After the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Thomas Partey, Nicolas Pepe and Mohamed Elneny, the London side will be extremely thin in numbers.
Arteta might change the formation of the team and I’m predicting just that. Here’s my team for the first-legged tie against Liverpool:
Formation: 3-4-3
In goal it’s Bernd Leno. The German was one of the few who was decent on the pitch at Nottingham, and thus I would give him the nod against the Reds.
In front of him, the back three will consist of Ben White, Rob Holding and Gabriel. The return of the Brazilian from suspension will come as a boost for Arsenal, who will be looking to shut out the second best attacking team in the Premier League.
The four in midfield will be: Cedric Soares, Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares. Xhaka has recovered from COVID and will be expected to make his comeback tonight.
Mikel Arteta 🤝 Nuno Tavares
💬 "Some experiences aren’t pleasant, but most of those, if you take them in the right way, are the ones that help you become a better person or player."
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 12, 2022
I’ll play Tavares in front of Tierney because of two reasons. First, we have a North London derby at the weekend, and Tierney should be one of the players getting picked first for that game. Secondly, Tavares has been pretty impressive since signing for Arsenal last summer, despite an awful first 30 minutes at the City Ground last weekend.
The attack will consist of Bukayo Saka on the right, Alexander Lacazette at the center and Gabriel Martinelli on the left.
Arsenal players set to miss the fixture against Liverpool this evening:
• Ødegaard
• Smith Rowe
• Partey
• Tomiyasu
• Pépé
• Aubameyang
• Elneny— Connor Humm (@TikiTakaConnor) January 13, 2022
Those three, on their day, can cause chaos in any opposition backline in the Premier League. The match against current league champions and leaders Man City is proof of that.
Leno
White Holding Gabriel
Cedric Lokonga Xhaka Tavares
Saka Lacazette Martinelli
…
What will be your starting eleven for tonight’s clash?
ADMIN youd be better than holding and cedric saying that so would i
Arteta would probably pick us if we turned up.
He’s running out of options!
So why haven’t we asked for a postponement because we are short of players like Liverpool? I even wonder who is going to be on the bench.
Mat – we’ve not asked for a postponement cos we’re a class club and don’t play the victim card at the drop of a hat. We prefer to honour the game and the fans by playing and fulfilling our part of the agreement.
Also, our former CEO isnt the EFL chairman, so sadly we don’t have any ‘friendships’ and ‘alliances’ to call upon
That’s right, Liverpool cheated to get the first leg cancelled and that’s why it’s being investigated. We don’t cheat!
Declan – sorry to burst your bubble mate, but the EFL said they wont investigate why Liarpool postponed the game. Once again, LFC’s former CEO is now the Chairman of the EFL.