Arsenal take on Rennes in the first leg of our Europa League Round of 16 clash. Here are tonight’s official line-ups.
Rennes: Koubek, Zeffane, Da Silva, Meker, Sarr, Grenier, Bourigeaud, Bensebaini, Ben Arfa, Andre, Hunou
Subs: Badiashile, Doumbia, Johansson, Siliki, Lauriente, Del Castillo, Gelin
Arsenal: Cech, Mustafi, Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal, Xhaka, Torreira, Ozil, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang, Iwobi.
Subs: Leno, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac, Guendouzi, Suarez, Ramsey, Nketiah
I’d swap Xhaka for Guendouzi at HT. We need both of them fresh on sunday.
Agreed but I’d rest Mkhi and Iwobi before that.
RB aside a strong team, COYG
Leaving aside Mustafi’s painful individual errors, I like the basis on a defending back four instead of overly cavalier fullbacks. It is so much easier to prevent goals than keep scoring for each only stupidly let in.
watch vs man utd we will play 5 at the back with lichstainer/niles, sokratis,kos,monreal,kolasican
gendouzi xhaka
mikh, lacazette, iwobi
I know Im being emotional rather than rational but I’d love to see Jenko get a few games while the other right backs are out. Can he really be worse than Mustafi? I had high hopes that he was going to be the new Coq and revive his career. I guess it’s not meant to be.
Yes
I’m daring to believe that the nonsense between and Emery and Ozil is coming to an end.
Id swap mustafi for an empty stretch of grass
Seems fine. Should win.
Ramsey will be in for Ozil, Lacazette in for Aubamayang, and Guendouzi in for Torreira against MUFC. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the back four is change for a back 3 and wing-backs, though I don’t really expect it. I think Kos-kratis can handle Lukaku.
Unleash the Koskratis!!
He will However still to Mustafi. I mean, why wouldn’t you?
If this wasn’t the perfect game to start my man Denis, then I don’t know what is
I will never get this loan deal
It’s starting to make about as much sense as the Kim Kallstrom loan deal did.
I bet you haven’t seen Kim’s penalty
Had Kallstrom taken the penalty instead of Auba against Totteringham we’d be in a much happier place now.
Except that Kallstrom proved himself very useful the few games he played. Not least on set pieces. My only issue with him is that we should have played him more.
It’s early days with this Suarez fella so give him a chance. He may turn out alright.
It’s worse in a way as Suarez isn’t injured.
Emery never said he wanted the loan for starting XI. A team needs depth. The disadvantage is unfortunately all for Suarez not for Arsenal. How do they keep him if he does even play?
Smith-Rowe goes to Germany to train with Leipzig & Suarez comes here for the same!
He’s been brought here to provide cover. Fortunately we don’t have many injuries at the moment so there isn’t much need to play him.
Let’s beat them on the road and make the return leg a mere formality.
That would see lowest home crowd of the season – hope its not too cold next week!
Haha, that’s what PSG thought.
Newcastle’s remontada against us in the same game from 4-0. Whenever it comes to my mind, I still hurt.
Newcastle’s comeback was referee-aided, too, like Barca’s infamous one vs. PSG. Joey Barton is a play-acting bitch, and Rosicky was shoved in the back. (Similar to Fraser shoving Bellerin in the 3-3 at Bournmouth. Then there’s Arnautovic’s assault and battery on Debuchy. The one constant throughout the 21st century has been opposition’s ability to foul or–feign being fouled by–Arsenal’s defenders with impunity.)
Why do we play that plonker Mustafee
Because that’s what we have until the end of the season. I sincerely hope he’s sold in the next transfer window.
He will definitely be sold. Last weekend was a key moment for the manager and it didn’t happen the way he wanted because of Mustafi. Managers make decision about you for such things. I remember on game where Denilson was chasing Drogba in a counter-attack and gave up before reaching midfield and Drogba went alone and scored the goal. I knew Wenger was going to make the decision to let him go at that specific moment. He was let go at the end of the season.
I thought we would have saved Kos and Mkhi to have them fresh for the weekend given that they both played against Spuds and their recent injury history. Emery is clearly taking no chances after the Bate scare. Should make for an entertaining game given that we’ve put out a strong team minus Mustafi (of course).
Maybe would have left Koscielny out personally but what do I know, I’m just a lowly office worker sat at my desk pretending to do work while I contemplate whether to have pasta or something else for me tea.
I reckon pasta. Got some nice veg I can put in it. Might get a beer from the offy for the game as well to be fair.
Anyway, enjoy the game all.
We need a little more decisiveness when you’re in the office Chris. Why not change “might” to “will certainly “ – there’s a good chap. As you were. COYG!
Yeah you know what I need to take control of my own destiny. I’m buying a beer. And I might get a pudding as well, I like a Muller corner occasionally.
Also it’s important to not the amount of cheese on said pasta dish will be simply preposterous.
That’s the spirit ?
Did you give up football after leaving Arsenal?
Not sure who you play in his place unless you move Mustafamistake to the centre?
Pasty for me plus Speckled Hen.
The correct insulting nickname for Shkodran Mustafi is ScoredAgain Mistakey.
Working a little bit with the handbrake on, aren’t you?
Yikes. That’s a strong lineup considering Sundays match……
Exactly. We have 3 healthy CB’s and we are choosing to use all of them today. I think thats a bit of gamble given who we are playing this weekend and the rest of the year.
Wow, we finally get to see this team play. The only missing piece is Bellerin and Leno, and that would constitute our strongest line-up on paper with players playing in their positions.
Wow somewhat surprised by the lineup as I thought certain players would be rested, good strong team though ?
Can we please rest Miki? He’s been playing too many minutes for his age I think, and he’s just hit a good run of form. Be a shame if we lose him right before an excellent chance to knock ManU back to reality. Regardless fingers crossed today lads
I wouldn’t call 30 that old.
Good team – hoping for a couple of away goals!
Can see the intention with such a strong team no taking the opposition lightly at this stage . hopefully we’ll be right up for it. coyg
Is Lichsteiner injured? I would prefer to see him or Jenkinson start over Mustafi, otherwise this looks like very good lineup.
Well done Sokratis!
There isn’t a defender at Arsenal who isn’t useless.
What an idiot…
I fancy Rennes to win this
And they have just equalised.
Sokratis you are a fucking useless CUNT….
Get injured.
Get hit by a speeding bus.
Just go….
That’s a human being….
Easy with the insults mate, what do you gain from wishing death upon someone else, and that too a usually good defender?? It was a rare blunder from Sokratis, there’s another half to go.
I do agree though that the red cards in the last matches is ridiculous.
Is that the same Sokratis who was this weekends man of the match? Short memory eh?!
Leon’s addition to the discussion should be deleted
Pity you couldn’t be deleted at birth.
One less idiot is always appreciated…
Every time
You can be guaranteed that one of those hopeless retards in defence will mess it up.
Every time.
Without fail.
What is the point for having hope when you have players like Sokratis and Mustafi.
Pair of fucking retards…
this should be a walk in the park for arsenal, we’re playing a league 1 team in 10th place, send the youngsters.
Where are the anti Iwobi moaners now? He’s slowly turning into a Jay Jay Okocha, but a faster one and endowed with more technical ability. I hope he adds confidence and decisiveness in his game, but ffs Give the kid a chance!
Arsenal’s defence 2 Arsenal 1
I’m sorry but if Emery does not replace this ageing and incompetent defence in the summer then he should be fucking fired.
Monreal, Sokratis, Koscelny, Mustafi and Lichsteiner would not get within a 1000 miles of any top team much less be established first team players.
Incompetent.
You could get more competent defenders from the english second division…
Have to ask, what has Emery fixed exactly? Had a man sent off in what, 3 out of last 4 matches? Over everything happening on the pitch this season, there is the fact that with this owner, board, and executive group, this club is going nowhere. It has been overtaken by better-funded and better run rivals in it’s own league, never mind the top clubs in Europe. Those salad days are gone. Few speak it, but everyone knows it.
*sigh*