With Arsenal facing our third match in a week and desperately needing all three points from today’s away match at Hull City, Arsene Wenger would have wanted as many first team players available as possible, so it will have been a big blow to his plans to lose Olivier Giroud.
The France international forward was probably in line for his first start of the season, but he picked up a knock as well as a very harsh red card in the Champions League clash with PSG and has not even made the bench today. At the same time, however, the Gunners’ chances have been boosted by the return to match fitness of one of the other striking options Theo Walcott.
The flying England forward comes straight back into the team and it is his international team mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who misses out with young Iwobi keeping his place. Whether it will be Walcott or Alexis Sanchez playing through the middle is anyone’s guess.
The only other change made by the Frenchman is at the back, with veteran keeper Petr Cech coming back in and the midweek hero David Ospina dropping back to the bench, so Coquelin and Cazorla continue to be our first choice central midfield pairing and the summer signing Granit Xhaka will have to wait.
Cech
Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal
Coquelin, Cazorla
Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi
Sanchez
Subs: Gibbs, Lucas Perez, Ospina, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Holding, Xhaka, Elneny.
Will this starting XI get the job done for us today?
Bob.