Picking the Best Potential Arsenal Lineup to Face Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday

Arsenal make the short trip to Stamford Bridge to meet Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

New manager Unai Emery received a lot of criticism for his tactics against the Manchester City, and will be hoping to see a much better performance from his players against Chelsea.

He will have some decisions to make about the personnel and tactics for the derby match, and here’s how Arsenal could line up.

1. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Petr Cech (GK) – Emery has confirmed that Cech will remain in the lineup against his old club, despite looking ill at ease with the ball at his feet against Manchester City. The towering goalkeeper will be hoping for a much better performance.

Hector Bellerin (RB) – Arsenal are not blessed with many defensive options after injuries to several members of their squad, meaning Bellerin will certainly remain in the team. He will be tasked with keeping the likes of Eden Hazard and Pedro at bay for the encounter.

Sokratis (CB) – The new signing was brought in to strengthen Arsenal’s defence, but struggled against the champions last weekend. Nevertheless, his talent is clear to see, and Sokratis will be looking to bounce back with an impressive showing.

Shkodran Mustafi (CB) – With Lauren Koscielny out injured, Mustafi has been Arsenal’s first choice centre back, and will definitely keep his place in Emery’s lineup.

Stephan Lichtsteiner (LB) – After Ainsley Maitland-Niles suffered a leg fracture against Manchester City, Arsenal will be forced to turn to veteran right back Lichtsteiner to fill in on the opposite flank. Sead Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal are also unavailable, meaning Emery does not have many options in this position.

2. Midfielders

Lucas Torreira (DM) – Fellow new signing Matteo Guendouzi was given the chance to impress against Manchester City, but Torreira is likely to be given his chance to shine, having featured for the final 20 minutes last weekend.

Granit Xhaka (DM) – Xhaka featured in every Premier League game for Arsenal last season, and will be looking to continue the trend this weekend. Arsenal need a disciplined performance from Xhaka, who will be key in tracking Chelsea’s attacking players.

Mesut Ozil (LM) – Ozil will be looking for a big performance to get rid of this reputation of underperforming in important matches. He is the one who is most likely to be creating chances for his teammates, and is a certainty to start the match.

Aaron Ramsey (AM) – With Torreira and Xhaka as defensive midfielders, Ramsey will be deployed further forward, and Arsenal’s last player of the season will be given the chance to shine in attack.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (RM) – Given the nod against Manchester City, Emery will most likely select the Armenian once more. Expect all of Arsenal’s attacking midfielders to roam and attack from various areas on the pitch.

3. Forward

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ST) – Aubameyang was selected ahead of Lacazette last weekend, and will likely continue in the lineup this weekend. Lacazette was restricted to a substitute appearance, but neither did enough to change Emery’s thinking for this weekend’s match.

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