(4-3-3) vs (4-3-2-1) Eberechi Eze vs Olise”, Predicted Arsenal line up vs Bayern Munich – As Mikel Arteta makes Five bold changes to previous with Martin Ødegaard new position
Arsenal host Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening for a bumper Champions League clash that promises to be an exciting battle at the top of the league phase table.
The Gunners romped to a 4-1 win over Tottenham last time out to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points. Leandro Trossard broke the deadlock before Eberechi Eze went on a rampage in front of goal to hit the first Premier League north London derby hat-trick.
With several concerns remaining on the injury front, but the chance to bring some returning absentees back into the side, Mikel Arteta will likely opt to field the strongest side possible tomorrow and could make no changes to the team that secured a dominant victory over Spurs.
Here’s how the Gunners could line up for the visit of Bayern Munich.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Bayern Munich (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper & Defenders
David Raya (GK) – He was one of two players who slightly underperformed against Spurs as his questionable positioning saw him lobbed by Richarlison for a consolation goal. However, he will no doubt continue between the sticks and will be looking to bounce back.
Jurrien Timber (RB) – His brilliant start to the season continued at the weekend and while rotating for Ben White might be tempting, the Dutchman will keep his place at right back.
William Saliba (CB) – With Gabriel unavailable, Saliba has a duty to be the senior figure in the centre of defence and will remain in the starting lineup.
Piero Hincapié (CB) – He did a superb job of standing in for his Brazilian counterpart in the north London derby and will continue as Saliba’s partner for this clash.
Riccardo Calafiori (LB) – Champions League nights have presented Arteta an opportunity to give Myles Lewis-Skelly a run in the side, but that won’t be the case for this game as the Italian will continue on the left side of defence.
Midfielders
Eberechi Eze (CM) – With Martin Ødegaard back in training, the midfielder will face competition for the creative midfield role once again, but following his historic hat-trick against Spurs, he will keep the spot for this one.
Martín Zubimendi (CM) – He made a mistake on Sunday, losing possession to allow Richarlison an opportunity for an unbelievable goal, but was solid otherwise. He will come back in after missing the last Champions League clash due to suspension.
Declan Rice (CM) – He was absolutely superb in the derby and showed why he has to be starting every game possible for Arsenal. Rice will be a crucial cog against Bayern.
Forwards
Bukayo Saka (RW) – He was a constant troubling force on the right flank and will look to do the same as he starts in what will be one of his toughest tests as an Arsenal player.
Mikel Merino (ST) – The win over Spurs saw him operate differently in the striker role, often dropping deep as a false nine. It remains to be seen if he will play the same way on Wednesday, but he is a guaranteed starter up top.
Leandro Trossard (LW) – He worked tirelessly against Tottenham and was rewarded as he netted the opening goal and providing an assist. He will remain the starter on the left side tomorrow.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for an enterprising Arsenal side determined not to be thwarted by a Tottenham Hotspur team setup to play spoilers. Those hopes were dashed when Eberechi Eze, long overdue a breakout performance in an Arsenal shirt, scored either side of half-time to construct what looked like an insurmountable advantage for the Premier League leaders.
Things didn’t quite go to plan when familiar antagonist Richarlison took advantage of some wayward passing to beat a retreating David Raya from distance. The goal prompted some ragged stuff from the Gunners, but the points were safe when Trossard rolled a pass to Eze, and the effervescent No. 10 drilled another relaxed and pinpoint finish to seal his hat-trick, a first for an Arsenal player against the local enemy in almost five decades, per OptaJoe.
Here are the Arsenal player ratings from a mostly dominant victory in the derby.
Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham player ratings
David Raya
Goalkeepers & Defenders
David Raya (GK) – 4/10 – He’d barely had a save to make, so perhaps Raya could be forgiven for getting lazy with his positioning as Martin Zubimendi was losing the ball in midfield and Richarlison was preparing to shoot from 30-plus yards. Raya deserves the benefit of the doubt, but such are the high standards set by arguably the best goalkeeper in today’s game, his error stands out more.
Jurrien Timber (RB) – 8/10 – Another standard eight out of ten from the best full-back in England’s top flight. Timber was powerful and industrious going forward, collecting an assist when he teed up Eze for the attacking midfielder’s second goal, while the Dutchman also stayed strong and sound defensively.
William Saliba (CB) – 6/10 – There was nothing wrong with what Saliba did from a defensive perspective. He gave no quarter in aerial duels and didn’t allow runners to get ahead of him down the sides. What Saliba struggled to do was exert his influence on Arsenal’s possession play, particularly during the first half when Spurs sat deep and put the onus on the home side’s defenders to help build attacks.
Piero Hincapié (CB) -7/10 – Finding the right replacement for injured vocal leader and set-piece demon Gabriel Magalhaes was a tricky task, so Mikel Arteta played it safe by turning to the player acquired on a season-long loan from Bayer Leverkusen. Hincapié didn’t disappoint, delivering a controlled display.
Riccardo Calafiori (LB) – 7/10 – This was supposed to be the season of Myles Lewis-Skelly, but the precocious Hale End graduate is going to find it tough to supplant Calafiori, after the Italian produced another smart and energetic performance.
Midfielders
Eberechi Eze
Martin Zubimendi (DM) – 5/10 – Efficiency is usually the watchword of Zubimendi’s game, but he was strangely erratic on the ball at times in his first north London derby. Losing out to João Palhinha led to Spurs’ lone goal, and Zubimendi also suffered from an abundance of caution with many of his passes. Arsenal’s controlling influence in the engine room will enjoy better days.
Declan Rice (CM) – 6/10 – If every rating was only about endeavour, Rice would merit full marks. He attacked the intensity inherent in this fixture with relish, but all of the toil produced little quality, save for helping Eze open his account on 41 minutes. Subsequently, there was no set-piece magic and only a booking to show for Rice’s efforts.
Eberechi Eze (AM) – 9/10 – He was entering time to worry territory in his wait for a statement game, but Eze finally delivered emphatically. The 27-year-old took each of his goals with an assurance this iteration of Arsenal have otherwise long lacked at the business end of the pitch. A more underrated, but no less important contribution was Eze’s scooped pass to tee up Rice for an early sighter in the third minute. It was the kind of deft creativity Arteta’s team needs more of to become unstoppable this season.
Forwards
Leandro Trossard
Trossard started the scoring in style. | Justin Setterfield/GettyImages
Bukayo Saka (RW) – 8/10 – A few moments of individual brilliance summed up Saka’s day. He conjured a nutmeg here, a neat piece of control there, and some instant acceleration showed Arsenal’s most talented attacking player is getting back to form.
Mikel Merino (ST) – 8/10 – Arteta’s auxiliary striker continued to show his worth, as Merino delivered some of the finest link-up play this season. The ball to meet Trossard’s run from out to in was the pass of the campaign, while Merino had earlier set Saka free with a clever reverse ball.
Leandro Trossard (LW) – 9/10 – When the Gunners were in danger of falling into the trap set by Spurs to turn the game into a war of attrition, it was Trossard who kept his team on the front foot. The Belgian was direct, but he added subtlety to his movement at the right times, none better than for the opening goal. Only Eze’s goalscoring masterclass took attention away from Trossard’s excellent performance.
