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Mikel Arteta encouraged to start fringe player in his Arsenal lineup vs Porto
By Kian Long
After a rampant group stage display and finishing top of their segment, Arsenal will face Porto away from home in the Champions League 1st leg knockout tie. Although away goals don't matter in the competition anymore, Mikel Arteta will field a strong Arsenal lineup vs Porto, in the hopes of getting a significant advantage early doors.
Finding it difficult to choose your best lineup can be a pain in the backside but when the complication comes from having too many impressive players, it's a pain that Mikel Arteta will gladly welcome.
Mikel Arteta encouraged to start fringe player in his Arsenal lineup vs Porto
According to a report by Express, Leandro Trossard has become "undroppable" throughout his recent performances, so Mikel Arteta has been encouraged to start Trossard, even if Gabriel Jesus is fit.
Indeed, Trossard has been in exceptional form and recently became Arsenal's second top goalscorer for the season, netting an impressive 10 goals. This is wonderful since he isn't a sure starter and actually, starts on the bench in most games where everybody is fit. He has a remarkable 0.70 goals per 90 minutes, which would surely suggest that he's a sure starter in such an important match.
However, the Gabriel Jesus injury news does complicate things, with reports suggesting he is set to be in the squad for the 1st leg tie on Wednesday evening (this complicates things in a good way, of course). Gabriel Jesus is Arsenal's top goal scorer in the Champions League this season and in my opinion, the best performer under Mikel Arteta in the group stage.
There are many different avenues Mikel Arteta could go down with his starting eleven. We have gone with a front three of Martinelli-Trossard-Saka, which seems to be the safest route with Gabriel Jesus only just returning from injury. However, I'd be lying if I said seeing Gabriel Jesus start this match wouldn't make me crack a smile.
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Do you think Leandro Trossard should start against Porto in midweek?