Having ended the weekend as the Premier League’s front-runners, Mikel Arteta will now be focusing his Arsenal team on a tie against Bayern Munich.
It could be debated that Arsenal have never hosted a bigger night at the Emirates during Arteta’s whole tenure at the club.
Having now lost two Bundesliga games in a row, and being at risk of dropping to third-place in Germany, Bayern Munich are a ‘wounded animal’ right now.
And whilst many will expect high-flying Arsenal to make the most of that malaise, Mikel Arteta will be warning his players of a compelling reaction from Bayern.
Harry Kane and co won’t go down without fighting, and whilst Arsenal should take confidence from Bayern’s form, they can’t allow any complacency to creep in.
Fortunately, that’s not a trend of this Arsenal team, a group of professionals who lean on Mikel Arteta’s every word.
That being said, the Arsenal boss has some key selection calls to make before Bayern, perhaps his biggest dilemmas to date.
And whilst Kai Havertz has absolutely nailed down the false nine position, there’s plenty of debate elsewhere.
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Mikel Arteta must start Jakub Kiwior when Arsenal face Bayern Munich this week
There’s a few split decisions to be made – Jorginho or Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus or Gabriel Martinelli, the list goes on.
But one thing that is for certain, is that Mikel Arteta must restore Jakub Kiwior to his Arsenal eleven against Bayern Munich.
The Polish international has been ‘extraordinary’ since he was handed a surprise chance on the left a few months ago, and now represents a much more complete option than Oleksandr Zinchenko.
And all in all honesty, Takehiro Tomiyasu should probably also be considered ahead of the Ukrainian on the left for such a difficult tie.
Arsenal can cope without Oleksandr Zinchenko’s ability on the ball
Whilst Zinchenko didn’t play poorly against Brighton, he perhaps again proved that this Arsenal team is evolving beyond him.
A team involving Jorginho and Declan Rice in the middle doesn’t necessarily need added ball control, nor does it require Zinchenko’s occasional lapses at the back.
Since signing for £20m back in January of last year, it felt as if Kiwior may not reach the point in which he impacted Arteta’s first XI.
But with Jurrien Timber still not fit, he’s now the club’s best option on the left, and it could be a real oversight if Arteta decided against starting the Arsenal man versus Bayern.
Fans will rightfully trust Arteta’s call either way, he’s brought us this far, but from outside it seems like an obvious call.
All that being said, some fans may even want to see Emile Smith Rowe handed an opportunity on Tuesday, a player even Rob Edwards admitted he wanted to start more often.