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Arsenal were in fine form against Nottingham Forest in midweek in the League Cup.
As Unai Emery rotated his squad to give a number of his fringe players some much-needed playing time, the Gunners won 5-0. Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Rob Holding were all on the scoresheet, whilst Gabriel Martinelli helped himself to a brace.
With Manchester United the opposition on Monday, the former Sevilla boss will name a very different team against the Red Devils. Here, we predict his starting XI.
It has been a good couple of weeks for Emiliano Martinez. First, he kept a clean sheet against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, and then followed that up with another against Nottingham on Tuesday in the League Cup. Also, it is being reported in Argentina that he could receive a call-up to the Argentina national team. His recent form should put current first choice Bernd Leno under pressure, but the Germany international’s place is safe for now.
Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin were both making their first appearances of the season against the Championship side, but only one should start at Old Trafford. The former played 76 minutes on Tuesday and looked solid as part of a back four that didn’t concede, but another start straight away, especially against a top-four rival, could be too soon.
Bellerin only came on as a sub though and, following Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ red card last week against Aston Villa, Emery may feel compelled to give the Spain international the nod. David Luiz and Sokratis are expected to return at the heart of the backline.
A 4-3-3 formation could be used to give the side more defensive solidity. Matteo Guendouzi should come back into the side, whilst Granit Xhaka, the newly-appointed captain, should join him in the middle of the park. To add a bit of creativity from further back, Dani Ceballos should also be included.
On the right flank, Nicolas Pepe is all but guaranteed to start. Opposite him there are a couple of options, but Reiss Nelson’s display against Forest, in which he scored and assisted, should be enough to see him receive another opportunity.
In the least shocking tip of the week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will come back into the side up front. He is the Gunners’ talisman at the moment, with seven goals in seven appearances, and they will need him firing to have a chance of getting the win against the 20-time English champions.
