Arsenal predicted lineup vs Sheffield United: Martinelli to start?

Arsenal travel to Bramall Lane on Sunday to face relegation doomed Sheffield United in the Premier League. Here is the predicted lineup.

On Thursday Arsenal face their fate. Lose in Prague or even draw 0-0 and the season is effectively over. Beyond that, what they club are capable of doing in the summer transfer market alters drastically with no European football set to grace the Emirates Stadium.

It’s all on that fixture.

So what better way to prepare than to face one of the worst sides in the history of the Premier League? Sheffield United have been nothing short of disastrous this campaign with just four wins all season, and coming into this fixture they sit 15 points adrift of safety with eight matches to play.

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Arsenal predicted lineup vs Sheffield United: Gabriel Martinelli to start with Nicolas Pepe up front?

They’ve parted with Chris Wilder already having failed to recapture the incredible season they had upon their return to the top division, with Paul Heckingbottom overseeing the inevitable return to the Championship.

Mikel Arteta has injuries galore to contend with, as the news of Emile Smith Rowe being unlikely to face the Blades adds to his growing injury list.

David Luiz and Kieran Tierney are already unavailable with the pair not due back for a good few weeks, while the latter may even have played his final match this season, depending on his recovery.

Martin Odegaard was sorely missed against Slavia Prague and his presence will not be gracing the south Yorkshire turf either, meaning Arteta will have an interesting decision to make in the No. 10 role for Sunday’s clash.

Having changed his personnel around for midweek, it will be key in his thinking that he must rest those preparing for the trip to Czech Republic while also balancing quality, even if the players at his disposal should all be capable of seeing past a quite dreadful team.

Here is the lineup.

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Bernd Leno (GK) – Unfairly criticised for Slavia Prague’s equaliser on Thursday, Leno nonetheless didn’t cover himself in glory with some poor distribution out from the back. In any case, he’s still the number one.

Calum Chambers (RB) – Whisper it quietly but ‘Bellerin did alright on Thursday‘. It’s generally not allowed to praise the Spaniard without fear of media lashings, and given his okay performance he will likely be rested for the weekend with the now fit Chambers coming into the team.

Rob Holding (CB) – With Luiz out he is the only option to come into the right side of central defence and it’s a place he’ll keep until the Brazilian returns. However, he might need to ease up on the long balls over the top, they weren’t Robaldinho-esque against Slavia Prague.

Pablo Mari (CB) – Gabriel is the better centre-back of the two – in this writer’s opinion – but as a pairing Mari and Holding are better suited. They complement each other and add security in aerial situations.

Cedric Soares (LB) – If he hadn’t have messed up in the dying embers of the midweek draw then Cedric would have left the Emirates feeling he’d done OK on the night. His limitations are clear and nobody will disagree, but he’s all Arsenal have at the moment with Bukayo Saka needed up front.