Arsenal’s clash with Luton Town tonight could see Mikel Arteta make several changes ahead of a busy fixture schedule.
This is the first of three games in the next six days, which includes a trip to Brighton before a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, and with this in mind, Arteta may not have a better chance to rotate his squad.
Bukayo Saka was withdrawn at Man City, but whilst Arteta has confirmed that there is no further injury scare with him, it is clear that the winger would benefit from a rest.
Gabriel Martinelli was not fit enough to start the game, and he too might be saved for later games, which could allow some bench players to gain a rare opportunity to start.
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Mikel Arteta calls upon Arsenal squad players to grab opportunities
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta claimed that the players who are struggling for minutes now need to fight for their places in training and when called upon.
“That’s certainly something really important. They really need to feel it, and the best way to feel it is to play minutes,” he replied when asked about keeping squad players happy.
“When they don’t have the capacity to show what can do, they have to show it in training.
“We have to be close to them and we have to convince them to keep doing it and earn the right to play.”
What fringe players could appear for Arsenal against Luton?
Arteta may not be too keen to change his back four, but Takehiro Tomiyasu could come in on either side at fullback to build up his fitness, having appeared as a substitute at the Etihad Stadium.
Jorginho struggled against Man City, and looks almost certain to be rested. This could either mean Thomas Partey directly replaces him at the base of midfield, or Declan Rice drops deeper with a more attacking option coming in.
Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe will be eyeing up this attacking midfield role, whilst both wings could also see changes given Saka and Martinelli’s fitness issues.
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus look the likeliest to take these roles, with Kai Havertz continuing through the middle, but Reiss Nelson will also be pushing for a rare start, having not even made the bench at the Etihad.
Arteta should not make too many changes given the attacking threat Luton pose, but this is a good opportunity to allow some key players to rest ahead of the Brighton and Bayern matches.