Arsenal vs BATE Borisov: Predicted XI with all eyes on Aubameyang

Deep Midfield

Nestled in between our marauding wingbacks, we will have the ever-dynamic combination of Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi. I struggled a bit with this selection (and deleted it more than once), but when you get down to it, these are the two that handle possession the best, so best to stick with them.

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I love the idea of having three deep midfielders, letting Lucas Torreira back into the starting XI so that all three can play with more freedom and fluidity, but at the end of the day, I’d much rather have dynamic wingbacks than a midfield that could potentially make a bigger difference than the two-man midfield is going to make.

Both Xhaka and Guendouzi have dynamic potential, moreso than Torreira (for the moment, anyway), and that makes them the best options here, as their primary goal is going to be to make things uncomfortable for the BATE Borisov midfield and defense. They are the backboard, but also a facilitator of that added presence, making late runs into the box or cracking shots from just outside.

It’s also a potential weakness though, if they do get too involved in the attack, but again, rather do this and allow for the wingbacks than vice versa. In an ideal world, we can start all three, but we aren’t in that ideal world right now.

Last but most important of all, let’s talk about the front three.