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Alright so Arsenal’s facing Bayer Leverkusen soon, right? Man what a game that could be. I figured I’d dive into how we might line up, since Mikel loves changing things and injuries keep biting us.
First Up – The Usual Suspects
Straight up opened my laptop and grabbed my notebook. Started scribbling down who absolutely has to play if they’re fit. Saka? Obviously. Odegaard? Captain’s gotta be there. Rice sitting deep, no brainer. Put them down in my messy handwriting. Backline? Saliba and Gabriel, those two are rocks. Ain’t changing unless Mikel loses the plot.
Then Came The Headaches
This is where it got tricky. That left-back spot… man. Zinchenko still feels shaky defending sometimes after his injury. Tomiyasu? Solid, but maybe not as fancy going forward. Then Timber’s crocked. So I scratched my head, looked at the squad list I always keep on my desk. Flipped pages back and forth. Maybe Tomi gets the nod for solidity away in Germany?
Next problem: What about the front three? Saka’s right side is nailed on, thank god. But the left? Martinelli just came back, doesn’t look sharp yet. Trossard was buzzing earlier in the season. Then there’s Havertz… playing kinda well as a false nine or whatever. And Jesus is fit? Maybe? Total headache. My notes looked like a spider crawled over the page.
The Research Bit
Alright, time for some digging. Didn’t believe the first stuff I saw online. You know how it is. Checked:
- The official Arsenal site for team news (told me zip, surprise surprise).
- A few reliable fan forums where they actually watch training sometimes.
- Arteta’s last few press conference snippets.
Wanted clues on Martinelli and Jesus especially. The forums reckoned Martinelli might get benched, Jesus ready but maybe not to start. Trossard looking good in training apparently. Wrote that down in capitals.
The Tinker Time
Saw someone online mention Partey maybe fit. Oh boy. If he’s ready, does that mean Rice moves forward? Or maybe Jorginho sits? Suddenly my original plan was in the bin. Scrunched up that page and started over. Looked like this:
- GK: Raya (That debate’s over, really)
- Defence: White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu (Feel safer this way)
- Midfield: Partey (IF FIT!), Rice, Odegaard (Partey holding, Rice box-to-box)
- Attack: Saka, Havertz, Trossard (Left side trickery with goals)
But what if Partey ain’t fit? Back to Jorginho. And if Jesus is flying in training, maybe he leads the line. Felt like juggling eggs.
Final Gut Feel Picks
Sat back, stared at my notes. My coffee was cold. Based on all the rumblings, the injuries, Arteta being a mad scientist… I think he’ll play it slightly cautious away from home first leg.
So here’s my best guess for the XI:
- Raya
- White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko (Gamble on control and passing)
- Jorginho (sitting deep – Partey probably a sub)
- Odegaard (right side attacking mid freedom)
- Rice (left side mid, box-crashing)
- Saka (right wing, terrorising)
- Trossard (left wing, sneaky finisher)
- Havertz (false nine, linking up)
Could be completely wrong! Jesus might start up top. Martinelli might get a surprise nod. Maybe he pairs Rice and Jorginho together and pushes Odegaard further forward. Point is, this tinkering took ages! Wrote it all out properly at the end. My desk looked like a bomb site but hey, I got my prediction. Now we just gotta wait and see how wrong I am.