Arsenal predicted XI vs Brentford as Saka and Rice not rested but Arteta makes changes

Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice still start for Arsenal against Brentford, as football.london predicts line-up from Mikel Arteta

Arsenal take on Brentford at the Emirates Stadium, looking to avenge their frustrating draw with Chelsea from the weekend and get back to winning ways. The Gunners have been impressive at home this season, winning all but one of their matches, while the Bees’ away form has been quite poor.

However, Brentford have been regular point earners in north London, drawing two of the last three games in the ground. The game, scheduled to kick-off at 7:30pm, sits less than 72 hours from the lunchtime Saturday clash with Aston Villa, meaning Mikel Arteta has very little time for his side to recover between matches.

With that in mind, it might be that the Spaniard opts to rotate; however, that has not been a common trend in recent seasons for Arteta. Here is how football.london expects the Gunners to line up.

David Raya

A set piece proved too much for the Spaniard at Chelsea, and with Brentford’s long throw techniques, it could again be a challenging evening for David Raya.

Jurrien Timber

Ben White could very well start this game but my feeling is that Arteta will still go strong against the Bees, which means Jurrien Timber still starts but perhaps comes off early in the second half, score-dependent.

Cristhian Mosquera

With William Saliba still ‘days away’ as Arteta says, it is therefore the likeliest scenario that the Spaniard continues in the middle, looking to build on a mixed performance at Chelsea.

Piero Hincapie

The same goes for Piero Hincapie, with Gabriel still weeks away from returning and the Ecuador international, while erratic in the first half on Sunday, definitely improved and grew into the game.

Riccardo Calafiori

Myles Lewis-Skelly might not be favoured here with the Brentford long throw perhaps suiting the much taller Riccardo Calafiori to start this particular affair.

Martin Zubimendi

After coming off in the second half against Chelsea, it means the Spaniard has perhaps more rest than some of the usual starters and can come into this game.

Declan Rice

While Declan Rice has played a huge amount of football, it is difficult to see him being rested before the trip to Club Brugge next week at the very earliest.

Martin Odegaard

Eberechi Eze can now get a rest after starting so many games in the absence of the club captain. Martin Odegaard, however, is now back and can return to the side.

Bukayo Saka

Noni Madueke might have been an option for the right, but similarly to Rice, Arteta seems to rest Saka so little that the winger is likely to start once again.

Viktor Gyokeres

The return of a natural centre-forward is a welcome one and we could even see Gabriel Jesus coming off the bench in this game to add further options to the side.

Noni Madueke

Gabriel Martinelli started at Chelsea, and therefore it makes sense that if Leandro Trossard is not fit to return, then the England international starts this game on the left-hand side, perhaps moving to the right if Martinelli replaces Saka later on.