Champions League returns as Arsenal starting lineup Vs RC Lens revealed- Aaron Ramsdale starts, Smith Rowe starts but Mikel Arteta made a bold decision by dropping brilliant star to the bench
Champions League returns as Arsenal starting lineup Vs RC Lens revealed- Aaron Ramsdale starts, Smith Rowe starts but Mikel Arteta made a bold decision by dropping brilliant star to the bench
Mikel Arteta may have kept everyone guessing with regard to player fitness ahead of Arsenal’s win over Bournemouth at the weekend, but ultimately there were not any surprises with his team selection.
That’s something of a first for the Gunners manager this season as he opted to stick with the same XI that started the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur six days prior with the main difference being his side being more ruthless at both ends to claim all three points.
Next up for Arsenal is a UEFA Champions League tie away at Ligue 1 side RC Lens. Although, with the heavyweight clash against Manchester City looming, one would imagine Arteta is planning to make some changes to ensure there’s freshness throughout the squad.
Luckily, he can call upon the likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jakub Kiwior, Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira and possibly Thomas Partey on Tuesday night. To help with any dilemmas, football.london’s writers Kaya Kaynak and Tashan Deniran-Alleyne are on hand to offer their assistance. Below, they name their respective starting lineups for Arsenal against RC Lens.
Kaya Kaynak – Chief Arsenal Writer
With Manchester City coming up on the horizon, I’d want to rotate as much as possible if I were Mikel Arteta. That starts in goal where I’d opt for Aaron Ramsdale over David Raya, firstly to keep the Spaniard fresh for Sunday, but also to keep the England international engaged.
In defence, I think I’d bring Takehiro Tomiyasu in for Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Ukrainian will be essential to winning the midfield battle against City and I just feel it makes sense to keep him as fresh as possible. I’d start the rest of the usual back four, but Jakub Kiwior is certainly a sub I’d be looking to use throughout the 90 if possible.
In midfield, I think it’s too soon to rush back Thomas Partey, and with Declan Rice still nursing that back problem this feels like a game where you can start Jorginho. I’d also bring back Fabio Vieira and start Emile Smith Rowe over Martin Odegaard, again with the idea of keeping the Norwegian fresh for City in mind.
Up front, I personally wouldn’t risk Bukayo Saka. Leandro Trossard is fit so you can give him some minutes to get him involved and up to speed for City. Meanwhile, I’d stick with Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus as the rest of the front three as it worked pretty well against Bournemouth.
Kaynak’s Arsenal XI vs Lens: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Jorginho, Smith Rowe, Vieira; Trossard, Nketiah, Jesus.
Deniran-Alleyne’s Arsenal XI vs Lens: Raya; White, Tomiyasu, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Jorginho, Odegaard, Havertz; Fabio Vieira, Jesus, Trossard
