Arsenal predicted lineup vs Fulham: Pepe and Saka stay in?

Midfielders

Thomas Partey (CM) – Are we seeing a shift towards the 4-3-3 Arteta envisages long-term? There were shades of it in the previous two fixtures as Thomas Partey assumed sole control of the midfield as the deepest option, one that worked with two No. 8 type operators either side.

Arsenal were always going to see plenty of the ball at Bramall Lane and needing to play on the front foot against Slavia so the situations may have called for it, and in any case the Ghanaian assumed his role expertly.

Granit Xhaka (CM) – Back into midfield he looks set to go. Having seen the whole game out on Thursday it wouldn’t be overly surprising to have Xhaka drop out in place of either Dani Ceballos or Mohamed Elneny, but with plenty of time to rest after Sunday it could be that he keeps his place.

Ideally, the classic 2-0 scoreline with the game wrapped up and early(ish) substitution would suit. That said, Xhaka never comes off.

Emile Smith Rowe (AM) – Withdrawn after 67 minutes in Prague, Smith Rowe’s masterful display was more than enough to have keyboards beating in admiration of his exploits before the final whistle. Another superb performance from the Hale Ender.

A well deserved rest after returning from injury, his early substitution could have been with an eye on getting him back into the team for Sunday with Odegaard expected to miss out once more.