Mikel Arteta will want a strong start to the new Premier League season for his Arsenal side this weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, Arsenal will welcome Wolves to the Emirates Stadium for their first Premier League fixture of the new campaign.
The Gunners need to make a strong start to the season, as Manchester City are sure to demand near-perfection from the North London outfit throughout the campaign if they are to take the reigning champions’ crown.
Paul Merson expects Arsenal to beat Wolves, the Gunners icon backed his former club to record a 3-0 win over the Midlands outfit. Mikel Arteta’s side cannot afford to rest on their laurels, though. The visitors will be keen to kick off their own campaign with a bang, too, so Arsenal must be wary.
(L-R) Leandro Torssard and Jurrien Timber of Arsenal at Sobha Realty Training Centre on August 13, 2024 in London Colney, England.
Arsenal team and injury news
Arteta will want to name a strong starting XI for this match, and is fortunate to have almost a full complement of first team players to choose from. Jurrien Timber was back in training this week, having been sidelined for the recent pre-season friendly against Lyon with a minor injury.
Meanwhile, both Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are still out of action. Arteta has given a timescale for Tomiyasu’s return, and it is fair to say that he has no chance to being in contention for selection for this weekend’s match.
Riccardo Calafiori will likely be handed his competitive Arsenal debut from the bench against Wolves. The Italian defender only managed one pre-season cameo for the Gunners following his arrival from Bologna, so won’t yet be in starting contention.
Hale End academy duo Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly will both also be hoping for a runout from the bench. The 17-year-old pair both featured regularly throughout pre-season and gave good accounts of themselves.
Lewis-Skelly impressed Arsenal fans in training, suggesting that he is doing all he can to force his way into Arteta’s plans.
The biggest decisions facing Arteta ahead of this match are whether Kai Havertz or Gabriel Jesus ought to lead the line, and whether Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka – who were both granted an extended summer break having competed in the latter stages of Euro 2024 with England – are ready to start.
In the case of the latter pair, as they were given the nod against Lyon, we expect them to be in the team from the off on Saturday.
Arteta will also have to make a call between Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard on the left flank. Form would favour the Belgian, but Arteta has shown a willingness to give Martinelli a chance to play his way back into form.
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard; Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz.
Leave a Reply