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Mikel Arteta could make a huge statement at bench one of Arsenal's best players for their Champions League clash against Atlético Madrid this evening.
The Spaniard may opt to drop either Gabriel Magalhaes or William Saliba in order to give Piero Hincapié his full debut as a Gunner while he could also bring in Myles Lewis-Skelly and send the in-form Riccardo Calafiori to the bench.
Whatever decision Arteta makes, it'll certainly be a big one and would send a message to his squad and those outside the club that he isn't afraid to make bold decisions to provide chances to other players.
Mikel Arteta could make a huge statement and bench one of Arsenal's best players
Atlético Madrid will be ready to provide Arsenal with a tough test at the Emirates Stadium tonight and while that likely means Arteta will have to field his strongest lineup, he won't be afraid to rotate where he wants.
Gabriel, Saliba and Calafiori could all be victims of those potential changes with both Piero Hincapié and Myles Lewis-Skelly eagerly looking to break into the team.
The former has now returned from a groin injury and is expected to be included in this evening's squad. He has made just one appearance for the Gunners following his summer move from Bayer Leverkusen, playing a single minute as a substitute in a 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao.
Having now made his fitness comeback, he will be in line to appear this evening and if he is to start, it means one of Arsenal's three key defenders are at risk of being dropped. He is capable of playing at centre back and left back so Arteta has options over who to send to the bench.
However, while he is available for selection, it's unlikely he will play from the off. Given his severe lack of match fitness, it wouldn't be a smart decision to throw him in at the deep end for such a big clash, but stranger things have happened. It certainly would send a huge statement, but Arteta is unlikely to do it.
One decision he might make though is dropping Calafiori for Lewis-Skelly. The Italian has been absolutely superb at left back so far this season and has managed to keep the man who displaced him last year well at bay so far.
Despite this, the Hale End graduate does need minutes and Arteta could make the bold decision to start him over his Italian counterpart this evening.
He impressed when coming in against Olympiacos and would be looking to do so again against Atleti. While he is an incredibly talented player and more than capable of performing at the highest level though, it would again be a big statement by Arteta to drop one of his most in-form players for someone who has only played 105 minutes this month (excluding international games).
It is unlikely Arteta drops one of his side's best defenders just for Hincapié to make his debut, but he could make the bold decision to bring in Lewis-Skelly for Calafiori. Whatever choice he decides to make, it will send a huge statement that he is not afraid to change his team round when he wants.