Arsenal expected XI vs Bournemouth as Partey returns but Nketiah misses out
Arsenal are already motivated for their Premier League match against Bournemouth, but the fact that they will be playing after their rival Manchester City for the first time since their recent meeting may give them an additional incentive.
Mikel Arteta acknowledged that his team will be keeping an eye on City’s game leading up to their own game this weekend.
“We are looking at the games for sure when they’re live before that,” the Spaniard said in his pre-match press conference. “It can become a stimulus. But I don’t think there’s need for extra motivation. We know the difficulty of the challenge, we are looking forward to it, and we go game, by game.”
Arsenal will have the advantage of knowing whether they can extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points or if they need to maintain their current five-point lead during the game. In any case, it is crucial for Arteta to make the correct decisions when choosing his team.
The Gunners’ team selection will start with the goalkeeper position, where Aaron Ramsdale has been outstanding with 11 clean sheets in just 25 matches, second only to Nick Pope this season. Against his former club, Ramsdale will be aiming to keep another clean sheet.
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba, who are in good form, could also contribute to the team’s success. They have the ability to remain concentrated against defensive-minded opposition, which is why they have performed well this season. Hopefully, they will have another uneventful game.
On the other hand, Oleksandr Zinchenko’s skills against compact defenses are quite different. The Ukrainian player demonstrated his ability to break open games with precise passes against Everton and will be hoping to showcase more of his exceptional passing abilities against Bournemouth. Ben White is expected to continue playing on the other side of the defense.
In midfield, Thomas Partey may return to the starting lineup after missing the last four matches. Although his absence has not been as keenly felt since the arrival of Jorginho, it is clear that Partey is an excellent player, and his second-half performance against Everton reminded us of that. Despite Jorginho’s fitness for this game, Partey is likely to start.
Martin Odegaard will certainly play in the front, but the left side of midfield is not yet decided. Granit Xhaka appeared to be a little frustrated during the Everton match, and it may be beneficial to give him a break from the team to help him return to the form he displayed earlier in the season.
However, with the Europa League match against Sporting CP approaching, Fabio Vieira is likely to be brought into the side for that game, which would give Xhaka a well-deserved rest.
Gabriel Martinelli has recently benefitted from some time off, as he has scored four goals in three games after being taken out of the starting lineup against Aston Villa.
The decision to move Leandro Trossard to the middle has revitalized Martinelli, and it appears that the experiment will continue on Saturday, with Eddie Nketiah potentially out with an ankle injury. Completing the lineup will be Bukayo Saka, who will aim to continue his scoring form, having already scored four goals in just five games.
Arsenal predicted XI vs Bournemouth – Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.
Arsenal expected XI vs Bournemouth as Partey returns but Nketiah misses out
