With Arsenal still carrying a pretty hefty list of players on the injury list, Arsene Wenger is having to cope without big players like Santi Cazorla and Shkodran Mustafi, and while the latest injury news on the in form Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is positive he will not be able to face West Brom today.
Aaron Ramsey was a possible inclusion but after some time out it would be a risk to throw him straight in and with quite a few options in central midfield I did not expect the boss to risk him. Ramsey has made the bench along with Mohamed Elneny and Wenger has stuck with Coquelin and Xhaka to control the centre.
The one major change is up front and judging by the fact Theo Walcott has not even made the subs bench suggests to me that Wenger’s hand has been forced a bit on this one, especially with the Ox unavailable. However I do think that he may have been thinking about going for Giroud as well as Alexis Sanchez anyway.
Cech
Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Gibbs
Coquelin, Xhak
Sanchez, Ozil, Iwobi
Giroud
Subs: Ramsey, Lucas Perez, Ospina, Holding, Monreal, Reine-Adelaide, Elneny.
It will be interesting to see how Arsenal set up today and I would like to see us go for two up front, but as long as Arsenal win the game I will be a happy Gooner.
Bob