Match Preview

Arteta has a huge task on his hands to stop his side going into free fall after Thursday’s crushing defeat. Undoubtedly, the players will be in low spirits after the energy sapping 120 minute loss which saw them crash out of the Europa League in the round of 32, a result that not many people saw coming. The Gunners have to dust themselves off and go again the FA Cup against Portsmouth to get their season back on track.

With a whole host of Arsenal players looking exhausted after playing 3 games in the last week, the winter break now seems to be a distant memory to the Spaniards squad, I expect to see some changes going into this important fixture. The Gunners away form has improved considerably since the start of the year, but this will not be an easy game as the home side will want to make it as scrappy as they possibly can. Kenny Jackett’s side will look to frustrate Arsenal by getting bodies behind the ball and limiting the amount of chances the visitors attackers have. Arteta will want his team to control the game much like they did for large periods on Thursday, however keep their focus for the whole 90 minutes to avoid conceding sloppy goals. It’s a great opportunity for the Gunners to bounce back, let’s see the latest team news for both sides:

Left-back Sead Kolasinac appears to be set for an extended period on the sidelines after damaging his shoulder against Everton last weekend, therefore he will definitely miss this fixture and possible the rest of the season. Apart from this, it’s mostly positive for Arsenal injury-wise as full-backs Cedric Soares and Kieran Tierney are both progressing well and should be available for selection within the next couple of weeks. Arteta said in his press conference he hopes to have the Scotsman back ‘very soon’. Pablo Mari has also been declared fit enough to play for the first team with Monday night being a good opportunity for the centre-back to get some minutes. Portsmouth manager Jackett provided some positive news on Ellis Harrison as they are expected to welcome him back into the team when Arsenal visit on Monday night.

Predicted Lineup

Formation – 4-2-3-1

GK – Emilio Martinez

RB – Maitland-Niles

CB – Sokratis

CB – Rob Holding

LB – Bukayo Saka

CM – Matteo Guendouzi

CM – Lucas Torreira

RM – Reiss Nelson

CAM – Joe Willock

LM – Gabriel Martinelli

ST – Eddie Nketiah

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James Humphreys