Mikel Arteta to make four Arsenal changes vs Sunderland as £42m star returns
Arsenal face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in Saturday’s late Premier League clash.
The Gunners have made a perfect start to the season with five straight wins in all competitions. This includes victories over Coventry City, Aston Villa and Chelsea in the English top-flight.
They have the opportunity to go top of the league by beating the Black Cats this weekend. Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta is bound to make multiple changes to the XI.
The Spanish tactician could opt for at least four changes from the 1-0 win over Napoli on the road in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Piero Hincapie played the full 90 minutes against the Naples outfit. The left-back got into multiple scoring positions in the box and squandered one big chance from point-blank range.
Riccardo Calafiori has been a league regular in the left-back role. The £42 million signing has been in fine form this term with one goal and two assists. He will definitely replace Hincapie in the starting XI.
Another change could happen in the heart of the midfield. Mikel Merino started in midweek alongside Declan Rice. Bruno Guimaraes, who is building up his fitness after a recent injury, came off the bench along with Martin Zubimendi.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has been ever-present as a league starter this term, was an unused substitute. The 19-year-old has barely put a foot wrong as Rice’s partner and should be reinstated in the centre of the park against Sunderland.
Two more changes look certain. Viktor Gyokeres was wasteful as the main man upfront against Napoli. He had just nine touches and five passes. He created chances for his teammates with his minimal distribution, but had no attempts on goal.
Manager Mikel Arteta has an easy decision to field Kai Havertz over him. The German has been in blistering form with three goals this campaign. Similarly, it appears a no-brainer decision to start Christos Tzolis over Eberechi Eze on the left wing.
Eze created one big scoring opportunity for Merino against Napoli. He was tidy in possession as well as in distribution but lacked a cutting edge in terms of creativity. He was replaced by Tzolis, who assisted Martin Odegaard’s sublime winner.
Tzolis, who has started four matches for the Gunners in his debut season, has already bagged four assists. The Greece international has quickly become a vital player on Arsenal’s left wing and appears undroppable in his current form.
Early predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1) vs Sunderland: Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz.
Stats from Sofascore.com
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