By Danong
After dispatching Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-final midweek, Arsenal now look ahead to a London derby semi-final against Chelsea.
Yet before that showdown arrives, the Gunners must swiftly redirect their focus back to the Premier League.
The Gunners welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Emirates Stadium in a fixture they simply must win if they are to maintain their grip on top spot in the league table.
Heading into this clash, Arsenal sit on 39 points, two clear of Manchester City. Yet if City overcome Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s early kick-off, they will temporarily leapfrog the Gunners, who play later in the day.
That scenario could well galvanise Arsenal to come out firing, particularly after enduring a tricky spell in which they have scraped through with narrow wins in recent weeks.
Wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and then Everton have lacked conviction. Consequently, Saturday evening will see Gooners craving a statement win, and for that, Arteta is expected to go strong with his selection.
On Tuesday night, the Spaniard rested the bulk of his key players. Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Declan Rice were introduced from the bench, while Viktor Gyokeres, David Raya, and Martín Zubimendi remained unused substitutes. Piero Hincapie, deputising for Gabriel Magalhaes in recent matches, was also given the night off and did not feature in the squad.
Even with absentees such as Ben White, Kai Havertz, Cristhian Mosquera, and Gabriel, Arteta can still field a formidable side against Brighton. His likely line-up may be:
Raya
Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori
Zubimendi, Rice, Ødegaard
Saka, Gyökeres, Trossard
That XI is arguably the strongest Arsenal can put out today. It is a line-up designed to outwit Brighton and heap further pressure on Fabian Hurzelar's men, who arrive winless in their last four league outings.
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