Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Club Brugge: Arteta Offers Key Players Respite

The Gunners boss will surely make changes to his team for Wednesday’s game in Bruges.

Arsenal looked tired in their defeat at the weekend. | JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

Arsenal looked beleaguered at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon, but it took an Emiliano Buendía strike at the death to inflict the second defeat of the campaign upon the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta is having to manage a rather difficult period, with three centre backs out injured and the rest of his squad fading off the back of a tough run of fixtures.

Still, the Gunners remain the Premier League leaders and perfect in Europe. Upcoming games against Club Brugge and Wolverhampton Wanderers give them a chance to rotate and reset.

Trips to the Jan Breydel Stadium are seldom easy, but Arsenal’s 100% record in the league phase means they have margin for error this week. With that in mind, here’s the team Arteta could pick on Wednesday night.

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Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Club Brugge (4-2-3-1)

There could be a rare start for Ethan Nwaneri in Bruges. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

GK: David Raya—While the Arsenal boss is expected to make plenty of changes from Saturday’s XI, he’s unlikely to switch around his goalkeepers in Bruges.

RB: Ben White—Three starts in a row for White. Who’d have thought it? Injuries at the heart of Arsenal’s defence have presented a route back for the Englishman.

CB: Jurriën Timber—Timber didn’t look particularly comfortable at centre back on Saturday, but with William Saliba unlikely to return from his injury until the weekend at the earliest, the Dutchman will continue in the role.

CB: Piero Hincapié—The summer addition makes the team by default again.

LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly—Riccardo Calafiori will serve a suspension in the Premier League this weekend, but the Italian could do with an extended break. He was dead on his feet against Brentford a week ago, and Lewis-Skelly is a more than capable deputy.

CM: Christian Nørgaard—The former Brentford midfielder has rarely been used this season, but Nørgaard could come in for a start.

CM: Mikel Merino—The proficient centre forward could play the Declan Rice role on Wednesday, with the England international set to miss out after skipping training on Tuesday.

CM: Ethan Nwaneri—Plenty of supporters were expecting a leap from Nwaneri this season, but Arteta hasn’t presented him with many opportunities. This would be his first start since the 3–0 win over Slavia Prague.

RW: Bukayo Saka—Arteta has certainly gotten better at offering his star winger respite this calendar year, but we could see Saka get an hour under his belt in Bruges.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—Despite his shoddy cameo at Villa Park, Gyökeres is primed for his first Arsenal start since returning from injury.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli—The Brazilian has been excellent in the Champions League this term, and he was on the scoresheet again against Bayern Munich in Gameweek 5. With Leandro Trossard potentially out injured, Martinelli could return to the starting XI.

Arsenal will be heavily rotated from Saturday’s defeat. | FotMob

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