Arsenal are back at the Emirates for their first midweek Premier League fixture of the season, as they take on Brentford.
The Gunners retained their six-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the table on Sunday, but Manchester City‘s 3–2 win against Leeds United the day before means their advantage at the summit was trimmed to five.
While they’d have taken a point at Stamford Bridge before kick-off, Moisés Caicedo’s first-half red card presented the visitors with a golden opportunity to win the game. Mikel Arteta’s men were off colour, though, and they struggled to garner any momentum even when Mikel Merino restored parity just before the hour mark.
Still, it was an excellent week for Arsenal, who’ll be expecting to extend their unbeaten run through to Christmas. The Bees are up next for the Gunners.
Thomas Frank’s Brentford almost always played Arsenal tough, and it looks like Keith Andrews’ iteration could prove a nuisance on Wednesday. They’ll rely on set plays and their ability to counter-attack, but the visitors have struggled on their travels this season. In fact, they’ve lost five of their six Premier League away games.
Arsenal Team News
He described the injury sustained to William Saliba as “bizarre” and hinted that he could be back in action this week. Leandro Trossard should also make an imminent return, having sustained a knock in the 3–1 win over Bayern Munich that saw him miss Sunday‘s draw.
Martin Ødegaard returned from his lengthy layoff at the weekend, but failed to make an impact off the bench. Viktor Gyökeres was also back in action and is likely to return to Arteta’s starting XI against the Bees.
Gabriel and Kai Havertz remain “weeks” away from making their respective comebacks.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Brentford
Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Brentford (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Hincapié, Calafiori; Nørgaard, Rice; Saka, Ødegaard, Madueke; Gyökeres