Arsenal takes on Liverpool Saturday lunchtime in a match that could decide whether Liverpool has a chance of playing Champions League football or not next season, while the Gunners know a win would certainly help cement their place in next season’s competition.
Liverpool will be without defender Martin Skrtel and captain Steven Gerrard following the ban the pair picked up during their last Premiership match with Manchester United that the Reds lost 2-1 at home.
As for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has plenty of options available, but none will include England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who is out with a hamstring injury, and while England striker Danny Welbeck was injured against Lithuania he will undergo a fitness test before the match with us expecting to see him play.
Mikel Arteta, Abou Diaby, Jack Wilshere and Mathieu Debuchy all are back in training playing in a midweek friendly, but with Wenger having almost a full squad to choose from we do not see him rushing any of them back.
Projected Team
Goalkeeper
No big news here with David Ospina getting the start as the Gunners will be looking to increase their defensive record of having kept four clean sheets and conceding a solitary goal in their last five games.
Defence
In the back we expect to see Mertesacker get the nod over Gabriel while Laurent Koscielny as always remains one of the first player to be pencilled into Wenger’s team sheet.
At left-back we think that Nacho Monreal will get the nod over Kieran Gibbs with Hector Bellerin remaining at right-back.
Midfield
Francis Coquelin should get his now familiar start in front of the back two while playmaker Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsay look to press Liverpool and provide balls to the three forward thinking attackers.
Attack
Giroud is obviously going to be the Gunners lone front man with us going for Welbeck and Sanchez to start on the wings leaving both Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott on the bench.
