Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Brentford: Injured stars return

It’s been two long, mundane weeks since we last saw Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in action, but we’ll soon get our fix of Gunner football.

Brentford are on the agenda for Arsenal this weekend with the Bees hoping to extend their unbeaten run against their London rivals at the start of 2023/24. The Gunners, meanwhile, could end the day at the top of the Premier League table depending on the result of the earlier Manchester City vs Liverpool duel.

The international break arrived at a convenient time for Arteta given how many injuries he was dealing with, and there’s hope he’ll welcome back several previous absentees to the fold on Saturday.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Brentford

With his array of international stars returning from duty unscathed, here’s the starting lineup Arteta could pick away at Brentford.

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Aaron Ramsdale (GK) – Ramsdale will make his first Premier League start since September with David Raya ineligible to face his parent club.

Ben White (RB) – White missed the Burnley win with an undisclosed injury, but it’d be a surprise to see him absent this weekend.

William Saliba (CB) – The elegant Frenchman will have the speed of Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbuemo to mitigate on Saturday evening.

Gabriel (CB) – Gabriel might be a little worse for wear after returning from South America in the week, but that surely won’t deter Arteta from including him in the XI.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (LB) – Given Brentford’s proficiency on the counter and from set pieces, Arteta will likely favour Tomiyasu over Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Midfielders

Jorginho (DM) – The metronome is set for a prolonged period in the team with Thomas Partey out for the rest of the year.

Declan Rice (CM) – Rice came out of the break unscathed and will be ready for a midfield dogfight in west London.

Martin Odegaard (CM) – The skipper is back in training having recovered from a hip injury and Arteta will need him at his best against this stubborn Bees backline.

Forwards

Bukayo Saka (RW) – It was a quiet break for Saka, failing to complete 90 minutes in both of England’s fixtures. Arteta won’t mind that, however.

Leandro Trossard (ST) – While Gabriel Jesus should be available for selection, it’d be incredibly harsh to drop Trossard given the form he displayed before the break.

Gabriel Martinelli (LW) – The Brazilian will be in high spirits after scoring his first Brazil goal last week. His performances for the national team show that Martinelli is rediscovering his most potent form.