Arsenal are looking for back to back Premier League wins for the first time since the opening two games of the season when they face Brighton at the Amex Stadium this evening.
Here are the official line-ups.
Brighton: To follow
Subs:
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Mari, Tierney, Xhaka, Elneny, Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Aubameyang
Subs: Runarsson, Mustafi, Cedric, Maitland-Niles, Ceballos, Pepe, Willock, Nketiah, Lacazette
Yes!!!!!!!
That is all.
He only picked this team because his hand was forced by injury. Willian diagnosed with arthritis.
can we have even a little bit of positivity?
I think it was a joke
Shit, my bad…
Thanks for that, was meaning to ask how your zoom call with Arteta went this morning. Be sure to keep us updated on the West Brom line up next time out👍
not true. he’d still have picked Willian. just that Willian didnt manage to get to the game. suspected demantia.
😂
To be honest Arteta is not known for rotation…this was evident last season, when he finds a winning team he doesn’t like to change it…though his decision to stick with just one starting line up this season is what made him lose so many games this season. He wants points and I can see not much change happening in future except for gabriel and partey coming in.
But I was hoping was Saliba…but still confused he is not being picked because Arteta doesnt feel he is ready or because of him being ineligible.
Live in the moment man. We win and hail him and whichever players have shown up. We lose we find a fault with him and whichever player “cost us”
Come on you gooners
What’s this strange feeling I’m having that I never have before a game…it’s a mix of approval and excitement. And.. hope?!
I’m so fucking excited! I’ve been looking forward to this all day. Of course that means in three hours I’ll be staring despondently into space and considering if Arteta is the right man for this job.
But until then…… COYFG!!!
A win here would be massive.
I’ve been waiting all day too….fingers crossed it’s a fun ond
You weren’t alive when the Invincibles were playing?
Was that when we went 22 unbeaten under Emery?
release the runners ❤️
He’s learning.
Sounds like he was listening to Arsecast Extra to me…
Very pleased to see Martinelli and ESR keep place. Bit worried whether Auba will be able to hold the ball up as well as Laca though. Either way feeling quietly optimistic.
Same thought. Lacazette just had a decent game as well, but hopefully Auba will do his thing tonight.
Agreed. Can Auba play that deep role? He can make better runs though.
My only concern is that I don’t think we’ve won a game on Amazon tv, losing the reverse of this fixture last Christmas?
Auba won’t need to hold ball up if Smith Rowe is behind him. Am hoping Auba and Martinelli will swap roles throughout game
Saka can get in the mix too. A fluid front 3 may be what’s needed to confuse a stubborn defence.
Auba Hattrick incoming! COYG
Fabulous!!!!! Brighton players look at our line up and say ” fk no willian, this will be a hard game.”
We look at theirs and think Welbeck not starting, can we avoid curse of the ex?(Southampton game fresh in mind)
Keeping this positive run going is important. Let’s hope we can do it in 45 minutes and give our wingers a rest.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m optimistic but cautious. The team probably still has a lot of mental scars.
Just a win would do. Don’t really care how, at this point.
In 45? Brighton isn’t a europa league outfit…I really hope for some slick plays and more than a goal from open play, but any sort of win will do really.
How do you keep Capt out, feel sorry for Laca as his workrate is often underrated, (he was still chasing down keeper in 83rd minute to get another chance) altho happy with line up, Cmon Arsenal !!!
In an ideal world we would be well equipped in other positions and having Laca and Auba competing for a place like Kanu and Bergkamp.
In the real world, we don’t have that kind of squad, Auba is our best striker but is good coming off the wing and Laca is our best in the number 9 position but Martineli has brought this energy he can’t be dropped and we won for the first time in a long while.
Now points over performance lads, let’s go
Anyone else enjoying Kevin Campbell in the build up to these?
Excited by the forward selections but I do wonder at the wisdom of both Nketiah and Laca on the bench. I don’t view them as especially different options but doubtful we’d use both. I still want Willock in for Elneny too.
Early days on Willock who I like & Nketiah, but sadly the latter goes missing in games, young players but we are in no position to carry anyone at the moment, they have had chances but need to take a leaf from Sakas book..
All over that, sticking with Smith Rowe and Martinelli….. Go on The Arsenal
I want Martinelli to start every game but the lad just got back from a serious injury, I think 2 starts in 2 days might be too soon for him.
Only thing I’d change is Nelson and Balogun on the bench, but I feel like there must be something going on behind the scenes with both. Love the starting 11 though, let’s put a number on Brighton and all laugh in Maupays face!
Sensible line up by Arteta. When the lads know their good work will be rewarded by more opportunities, everyone will sit up.
Time to revisit the non-negotiables.
I like this lineup and feeling moderately positive.
One question though: what’s happened to Nelson?
Good.
Thank fuck for that.
good line up. will have an even more adventurous approach tonight, because unlike Laca’s hold up and link up, Auba will be aiming to drag defenders wide or run in behind and score.
This means we’re planning to slice them wide open very often tonight!
Here’s to hoping. Cheers!
Martinelli up top? His aggression/technical ability gives him superior hold up play to Auba. A bit gutted for Laca tbh…
Good selection. Now let’s go ahead and smash them!
I would play Pepe over Xhaka – give Pepe a chance. I hate this faux meritocracy in the english game. The Quality of a player like Pepe will show. Think about how he was not given near the run out of Xhaka and I think there is a great deal of confirmed biases operating here.
That is unfair on Lacazette. Laca is a better all rounded player. Mistake in my opinion as it impair the buildup. Will see COYG
These kids have shown MA that he has been undermining them all along, and I like it.
Glad to see Willian left out.
We have a score to settle with these pricks from last season. Let’s stick to them good and proper!
COYG!!!
Why does Bellerin defend against the tallest opponent on their set pieces?
I think Laca deserved another runout, but we’ll see. The most important thing is that we build upon the good win against Chelsea. We conspicuously failed to do that after the similarly good away win against Utd – indeed, we fell apart. That’s not an option for MA (and his job prospects) now.
Anyway, fingers and toes crossed. We could actually have back to back PL wins … rarely seen, particularly when there’s an “r” in the month (or almost any other letter, the way things have gone recently).
The free kick at 27 that Saka won. Just before that, Auba was so casual. He could have nicked the ball and would’ve been 1v1 with the last defender. Instead he stood there, watched, put a lazy leg out, followed by Saka sprinting 20 yards to get that free kick out of nothing. I cannot believe this is the same Auba of last season.
This Auba is a shadow from last season
Our final ball is woeful.
Can’t wait for Gabriel to get back. Mari is not convincing in any way
We’ve slipped back into that slow build up with loads of possession in our own half. The forwards don’t stand a chance.
Really poor.
They are more defensive than Chelsea were, but we’re also much slower and more static.
So piss poor in our build up. Why can’t professional footballers take a poxy corner ffs. So frustrating. Not even past the first man
More benefits from the set piece coach then:-)
I see we’ve got our Arsenal back.
We havent done our homework…this brighton team concedes with crosses and for some reason we are not attacking them with same…xhaka and elneny are so slow and breaking down our play, they dont have a forward pass on them. Elneny has been bad since last game, he fumbles under pressure. That Bissouma kid looks amazing though.
Lucky to be level.
Back to the slow, scared football.
This is shit!
Why is Laca out?
I feel this team selection weakens us while playing to our opponent’s advantage.
Also, our boys look badly coached! Why do they always pass to the wings and never thru the midfield. It’s so predictable and boring!
All those crosses that come to nothing.
Very true.auba should remain on the bench until he regains sharpness.
He’s currently out of sorts
Xhaka and Elneny just atrocious
Add in Holding and Mari’s lack of ability on the ball and no wonder our front 4 are seeing so little of the ball. Certainly not in positions they have a chance to do anything with it anyway
Ceballos for Elneny please
More of the same turgid horse-shoe anti ball. Please someone put Elneny out of his misery – this advanced centre back role he plays offers absolutely nothing. AMN needs to get a run there surely?
Arteta has signed his sack warrant with picking Elneny-Xhaka combo in the midfield. This is called Emery type stubbornness which will drag us down with just one counterattack goal. Set piece even.
Please do not play Elneny.
He kills the life out of the midfield. Sideways.. sideways.. 1500 touches.. sideways.. play anyone but not him.. Anyone!
It really is a snoozefest when him & Xhaka play next to each other!
Crappy 1st half.
Hope we play with commitment and confidence in the 2nd half.
Convincing start to the second half.
FFS
Get in there!!!!!
If he wasn’t so clearly our best player this season, people would phone Child Protective Services and report Arteta for the way he’s run Saka into the ground this season.
Phenomenal talent! Wish we weren’t so totally reliant on him.
I want to see who arteta will bench out of auba,Nelly,laca,Smith and saka in d next game.
B4 I start raining curses