Arsenal starting XI vs PSV confirmed as Gabriel Jesus and Ramsdale starts- £45M star is on the bench for second half as a secret weapon- Arteta confirms anything less than 5-0 is a failure- Guess who starts on the LWF- Not Trossard

Arsenal starting XI vs PSV confirmed as Gabriel Jesus and Ramsdale starts- £45M star is on the bench for second half as a secret weapon- Arteta confirms anything less than 5-0 is a failure

Arsenal make their long-awaited return to the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night. The start to the season has been strong and the Gunners remain unbeaten with four wins and a draw after five games.

Arsenal have not been given the easiest of starts with arguably their toughest test in the group in the form of PSV with the Dutch giants the only team so far in the Gunners’ group that aren’t looking like a relegation candidate in their respective league unlike Sevilla and RC Lens. 

With that in mind, Mikel Arteta may be inclined not to make too many changes to the team that beat Everton, although the North London Derby on the horizon could make him consider resting some players, especially in the wake of Gabriel Martinelli’s injury at Goodison Park.

Goalkeeper- Aaron Ramsdale

With David Raya starting the weekend’s Premier League clash, it makes sense that Aaron Ramsdale would come back in for the game with PSV. That said, Mikel Arteta has given nothing away in his interviews and the selection of the Spaniard was indeed a surprise. 

For Wednesday though it makes sense to see a switch. What this means for the North London Derby, though, is very interesting indeed.

Right back- Ben White

Ben White had a subtly brilliant game at Everton at the weekend and Mikel Arteta might want to continue the consistent selection of his back four. The depth at right-back in the wake of Jurrien Timber’s injury isn’t the best and certainly this is no game for Cedric Soares so the England international remains.

Center backs- William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes

Although I’d be reluctant to throw William Saliba into any midweek game after the season-ending injury against Sporting CP last season, the Frenchman has been trusted by Mikel Arteta to play many matches in quick succession.

The expectation is for him to start once again but this game will perhaps enlighten us to what rotation we might see going forwards. Against Luuk de Jong, the Gunners will need him.

Left-back – Takehiro Tomiyasu
With Oleksandr Zinchenko suffering a frequent number of issues, the chance to rotate the Ukrainian might be taken here. Takehiro Tomiyasu is the obvious choice and a comfortable one, especially after the Japan international’s fantastic showing against Germany.

Defensive midfield- Declan Rice

Declan Rice has been the man to level up the Arsenal squad and his presence week in and week out should be no surprise whatsoever. His Premier League minutes were amongst the top twenty of all players last season as his availability is one of his best attributes of what is an astonishing number of strengths.
LAM- Kai Havertz

This is a great game for Kai Havertz, under the Emirates Stadium lights, to kickstart his season. With the euphoria of Arsenal’s return to the elite European competition, he’ll have plenty of encouragement from the stands and his manager to as he tries to put the difficulties of opening weeks behind him

Right attacking-midfield – Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard is another player, similar to Rice, who can easily be seen starting the majority, if not all, of Arsenal’s Champions League games this season. His captain status has weight but it could be yet another frustrating obstacle in the way of Emile Smith Rowe getting extra minutes.

Right-wing – Bukayo Saka
Although many within the Arsenal fan base will probably be hoping for Bukayo Saka to get a rest, but with Mikel Arteta saying rumours of a problem are ‘nothing to worry about’ it is unlikely he will get some time off here. Plus the right-wing area is one lacking in obvious depth, especially for an opponent like PSV.

CF- Gabriel Jesus

Gabriel Jesus has waited patiently for his first start and addressed the media ahead of the clash with PSV, which could be some hint toward a potential start in itself. Eddie Nketiah has kept him out of the side so far despite returning from a procedure on his knee.

Ahead of the North London Derby it could be the best opportunity to give Jesus approximately 60 minutes before the weekend, gradually phasing the Brazilian back into the starting eleven.

Left-wing – Reiss Nelson
With Gabriel Martinelli not training ahead of the game with PSV, it is likely to be one of Leandro Trossard or Reiss Nelson who start this fixture. With Trossard getting more than a half against Everton and scoring perhaps, by starting Nelson, Mikel Arteta can play them off against one another as to who he then feels should start against Spurs.