Gabriel Jesus could be handed his first Arsenal start in nearly a year when the Gunners face Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Tuesday in the EFL Cup quarter-final.
The Brazilian forward enjoyed a memorable outing against the Eagles in this same tie last season, scoring a hat-trick, and has since made three substitute appearances following his return from a long-term ACL injury.
Viktor Gyökeres scored the decisive goal in Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League win at Everton, but his overall display left room for improvement. With his match sharpness continuing to improve, Jesus now appears ready to feature for around 45 to 60 minutes.
Mikel Arteta may also freshen up his attacking options due to the short turnaround between matches, with Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli likely to come in for Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard as part of a rotated front line.
In midfield, Martin Zubimendi struggled to impose himself against Everton, which could see Christian Nørgaard take up the holding role. He may be supported by Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino in a revamped midfield three.
Defensively, Arsenal’s lack of depth limits major changes, so William Saliba and Riccardo Calafiori are expected to remain in the starting XI. Calafiori could shift inside to left centre-back, freeing Myles Lewis-Skelly to start at left-back, while Piero Hincapié is rested.
Jurrien Timber is also a candidate for rotation, but injuries to Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera leave Arteta short of options on the right side of defence, possibly forcing the manager to start 19-year-old Joshua Nichols.
The young defender’s only senior appearance for Arsenal came against Bolton Wanderers in last season’s EFL Cup, and he could now be included in a reshuffled back four shielding Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Possible Arsenal lineup:
Kepa; Nichols, Saliba, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly; Eze, Nørgaard, Merino; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli