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The Champions League final is closing in, and Mikel Arteta will now begin to make up his mind over his starting XI for the big game. The Gunners have the chance to top their Premier League title with their first-ever Champions League crown, but it won't be an easy task.
Standing in their way are the current European champions, and arguably the best team in the world, PSG. PSG boss Luis Enrique is a master at big games, and it's going to be a big task for Mikel Arteta and his men to overcome.
Gabriel Martinelli makes a late push
One thing Arteta needs to get right is his starting XI, and there are some interesting calls to be made. While some starters are obvious, like the centre-back pairing, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard, others are not so clear.
The biggest questions are up top, where Arteta will need to choose between Viktor Gyokeres and KaI Havertz, and he wil lhave to choose who starts on the opposite wing to Bukayo Saka.
When it comes to the latter, Leandro Trossard has been the go-to more often than not, and Noni Madueke is an option, but Gabriel Martinelli has made a late push.
Martinelli was arguably outperformed by Madueke against Palace, but he was superb in his own right. The Brazilian produced an energetic display, chasing around like a man possessed. He lost the ball only once during the game and had a pass success of 93%, which is remarkable for a winger. He also provided an assist during the win.
Martinelli's key stats vs Palace
- Pass success - 93%
- Assists - 1
- Dispossessed - 1
- Key passes - 2
- WhoScored rating: 7.74
Whether that will be enough for Martinelli to force his way into Arsenal's starting XI for the final remains to be seen, but on the balance of play during the season, it would be hard to argue against Trossard getting the nod.
Martinelli has been the biggest victim of the increased competition on the wing this season, with Madueke and Eberechi Eze - who can also play there - brought in last summer.
The Brazilian was once a guaranteed starter, but he struggled with inconsistency last season, and the new competition has meant he has had to settle for just 11 Premier League starts this season.
Unfortunately for Martinelli, Arteta is more likely to go with the tried and tested from this season in the final, given what is at stake.
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