Arsenal: 4 big selection calls for Arteta vs Leeds

3. Gabriel Martinelli on the Left Wing or at Centre-Forward

He has to play. With limited minutes as it is, making it to the latter stages of cup competitions is huge for Gabriel Martinelli as the he is the biggest victim of having no European football.

Last time out in the EFL Cup he was frustrated not to play the full 90 minutes and he’ll want no less this time around.

That win over AFC Wimbledon saw him shifted out to the right side, somewhere he was able to look dangerous in, albeit not his best position. Where he plays will come down to the usual left wing or at centre-forward, a decision that is impacted by the involvement, or lack thereof, from Lacazette.

Eddie Nketiah is one candidate to play at No. 9 in the Frenchman’s stead but he has not made a Premier League matchday squad for over a month, and is not featuring at Under-23 level. Folarin Balogun will also fancy a run out at some stage, with all three of the other striker options capable of being fielded in wide positions.

If the decision comes down to Nketiah or Martinelli on the left then anything other than the latter playing can’t be accepted. Nketiah may be working hard behind the scenes and offer a different option at striker, but out on the left is where Martinelli has to be selected.

There is scope for both to feature in any combination – but where Arteta fields Martinelli will tell us a lot.

Continued…