Arsenal vs Brentford: Predicted starting XI for League Cup opener

Arsenal will look to make it six straight wins in all competitions as they move into the League Cup third round match-up against Brentford. Here’s how they could line-up.

Arsenal fans are starting to get comfortable in the win column, and it’s easy to see why. The club have won five in a row, and they have been a diverse array of wins. Some have been swift and conclusive, some have been labored and stressful.

But wins are wins, and the Gunners do indeed have five in a row, while trying to make it six in a row against Brentford in the League Cup, third round. Obviously the club should have all the faith in the world that they can take care of business in this one, and that may have an effect on who Unai Emery chooses for his starting XI.

The big question is who, if any, he decides to change from the line-up he sent out against Vorskla. Obviously Sokratis won’t be available, so the defense is in question, but so too is the attack. Do we start Aubameyang again? It seems like an unnecessary proposition.

As such, let’s get into this predicted XI and do our best to guess just how Emery will deploy the troops. We start where we always do, in goal.

Keeper

I had this horrible thought that Emery would give Emi Martinez some game time here, but that was quickly dismissed. Bernd Leno is a hungry man, and that hunger was left spoiled against Vorskla when his solid performance was dealt an unfortunate blow in the form of two late goals against. He didn’t deserve that.

Brentford is another match that should shape up like Vorskla did, only this time, Leno will be desperate to keep a clean sheet to match Petr Cech’s heroic clean sheet against Everton.

I’m still of the opinion that he should be our No. 1 keeper, but I can get a lot farther with that argument if he puts in a conclusive showing against a team that it should be easy enough to do that against.

Let’s talk about the fullbacks.