Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how Arsenal could line up for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta should have Declan Rice at his disposal for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa at Villa Park.
The England international was unable to complete the full 90 minutes of last weekend’s 2-0 triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers, but he was only believed to have been suffering from cramp.
As a result, Rice should be fine to man the Arsenal engine room in gameweek two, while Fabio Vieira (hip) also has a good chance of being involved, but Kieran Tierney (hamstring) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) are unavailable.
Rice ought to form a recognisable three-man midfield with Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey, the latter of whom was a creative force in the first half against Wolves before letting himself down with a poor second period.
However, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz did not let themselves down, linking up on two occasions for Arsenal’s two goals last weekend, although the German striker has gone seven games without scoring or assisting against Villa in the Premier League.
Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard are still battling for left-wing supremacy, but the former appears to be edging that battle for now, while Oleksandr Zinchenko should also keep Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber at bay further back.
William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White and David Raya are mainstays of a defence that has conceded just three times in Premier League away games in 2024, keeping seven clean sheets in the process.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
> Click here to see how Villa could line up for this clash
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