Arsenal will aim to continue the march towards the Premier League title when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday night. Mikel Arteta has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Kai Havertz has stepped up his recovery from a muscular injury, and the German international should be fit and available to take on Brighton. Additionally, Martin Odegaard is closing in on returning from his latest minor fitness issue. However, Arteta has been sweating over Kai Havertz’s fitness in the last few days.
The English international sustained a knock in the Premier League clash with Chelsea, and he faces a late fitness test to determine his availability. Additionally, Ben White and Mikel Merino remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta provided fitness updates on Havertz, Odegaard, and Rice. The Spanish tactician also praised Martin Zubimendi for his fitness.
The Arsenal manager said, “He [Havertz] has done a part of the session, so we will have to wait and see whether he’s available and in which condition. I hope [Rice is available]. He was much better today. Obviously, we haven’t really trained because we have only two days to prepare the game. So hopefully, it’s going to be better tomorrow.”
“We have to wait and see how comfortable he [Odegaard] is to do certain actions. [There are] different circumstances. Obviously, the number of games and competitions we’re involved in, certain injuries as well. The fact that obviously he [Zubimendi] has been so well and for a first year, he’s had a great season. We have to [manage his fitness].”
David Raya is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Arsenal lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday. The backline will feature Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Piero Hincapie.
As for the midfield unit, Christian Norgaard may pair up with Martin Zubimendi in the double pivot, with Kai Havertz replacing Eberechi Eze in the no. 10 spot. Finally, Viktor Gyokeres will lead the line for the away side against Brighton, with Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard being the two wide attackers.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Norgaard; Saka, Havertz, Trossard; Gyokeres
