TheSportsRush brings Arsenal’s expected lineup vs Watford as the Gunners eye at extending their winning run to seven games.
Unai Emery’s side has seemingly put their campaign back on track in September, after a poor start to the Premier League. Arsenal lost both of their opening games to Manchester City and Chelsea respectively but made a strong comeback in the league.
Arsenal are on a six-match winning streak, which include four Premier League games, a Europa League fixture and Carabao Cup knock-out match against Brentford. Arsenal now face a tough test at home against Watford, who made a bright start in the league this season.
Watford are currently fourth in the Premier League table, with four wins and a draw from their first six matches. Last month, Javi Garcia’s side overcame Arsenal’s city rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-1 win at home.
Let’s take a look at Arsenal’s expected lineup:
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
Bernd Leno has made a good start to his Arsenal career, but he still looked unconvincing at times. Cech, on the other hand, was arguably Arsenal’s best player on the field against Everton in their Premier League match last weekend. The former Czech international is expected to retain his place against Watford.
Defence: Bellerin, Sokratis, Holding, Monreal
There were fears that Sokratis wouldn’t be in contention for the Premier League match this weekend, but he recovered in time. The central defender limped off the field with a dead leg against Everton last week, and didn’t feature in the Carabao Cup match in the mid-week.
Rob Holding could be a surprise inclusion in the defence, replacing Shkodran Mustafi. He was terrific when he came on for Sokratis against Everton, and Unai Emery might be inclined to give him a start.
Midfield: Torreira, Xhaka, Ramsey
Lucas Torreira’s performances so far makes him one of the first names on the team sheet for Arsenal. The Uruguayan’s presence in the midfield allows the freedom to the other midfielders to launch attacks over the defence.
Granit Xhaka is unlikely to play a role in the defensive midfield, while Aaron Ramsey might get a start in spite of his problems with a new contract. It was reported earlier this week that the talks between Arsenal and Ramsey for a new contract have broken down and the Welshman will leave the club next year.
Forward: Ozil, Lacazette, Aubameyang
The trio of Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is expected to retain their places in the starting XI. Lacazette has hit good form with Arsenal in this season, while Aubameyang’s intimidating runs from the wings are expected to create problems for the Watford defence.
EXPECTED LINEUP:
