Arsenal have immense pressure on their shoulders as the Premier League gets back underway with Mikel Arteta looking to secure his first win since before the international break… not this one, October’s domestic interruption – yes, it has been that long! Two defeats and two draws have seen the gap to the league leaders open to nine points.
That said, Arsenal have an opportunistic run of games coming up where until after New Year’s Day, they will leave the capital only once to travel to Lisbon to face Sporting CP in the Champions League. This of course is a chance to build some momentum but Mikel Arteta will be focused on simply the next game.
Win against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates and the poor form can be put to bed. To do that, he needs to choose the right team and with many question marks over some, a dream line-up will rely on several players recovering from their ailments.
David Raya has been impressing for both club and country this season, taking advantage of Unai Simon’s absence to begin solidifying himself as Spain’s number one. He will be looking to have some consistency in the back four in front of him which due to injury has simply not been possible.
With Ben White out for a period of time following a minor procedure, Jurrien Timber comes into the left-back spot in the team. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes meanwhile will be looking to lock down some clean sheets – something of a rarity this season.
Meanwhile, the hope is that Riccardo Calafiori will be able to return from a knee injury and there has been hope this break has come at a good time. The Italian has been a hit since his arrival and the Arsenal left looks far better with him in the squad.
