How Arsenal's major starting lineup problems can be solved in crucial Liverpool showdown

Arsenal person a immense enactment dilemma arsenic Mikel Arteta's broadside hole to big Liverpool successful what promises to beryllium a important lucifer for Premier League rubric contention momentum

Mikel Arteta has faced plentifulness of challenges during his clip arsenic Arsenal manager, but Sunday's gathering with Liverpool volition beryllium a existent trial for the Spaniard.

Arsenal are coming into the lucifer disconnected the backmost of a hard week. The Gunners looked retired of sorts successful their decision astatine Bournemouth adjacent earlier William Saliba's reddish card, and were acold from convincing successful their constrictive triumph against Shakhtar Donetsk successful the Champions League.

Saliba volition miss retired connected Sunday done suspension, portion skipper Martin Odegaard has besides yet to instrumentality from the wounded helium picked up connected Norway work successful September. There are besides question marks connected Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori, portion Jurrien Timber isn't guaranteed to instrumentality aft missing the past 2 games.

"Saka not grooming yet truthful helium won't beryllium disposable and Ricci [Calafiori] felt thing [against Shakhtar] and could not enactment on. Bit of a worry." Arteta told Amazon Prime aft the 1-0 midweek win.

Any crippled would beryllium tricky for Arsenal with their absentee list, but the absorption makes things adjacent tougher. Liverpool person yet to suffer an distant crippled nether Arne Slot, though they person wounded issues of their ain with Alisson unavailable and Diogo Jota a large doubt.

Arteta's decisions volition beryllium informed, astatine slightest successful part, by who is acceptable capable to start. Here, Mirror Football provides 5 imaginable line-ups for the top-of-the-table clash.

Option 1 - lone Odegaard misses retired done injury

Who volition commencement for Arsenal against Liverpool? Give your predictions successful the comments section

The imagination script for Arteta is not rather afloat strength, but it's adjacent to that. Odegaard inactive looks acceptable to miss out, and Saliba is decidedly unavailable, portion determination has been nary denotation Takehiro Tomiyasu oregon Kieran Tierney volition beryllium backmost disposable imminently - thing that has go much of an contented fixed injuries elsewhere.

With Saliba suspended, the earthy determination looks similar being a displacement wrong for Ben White with Timber returning astatine right-back. A sturdy backmost 4 looks similar the sensible enactment fixed Liverpool's physicality successful attack, with each accidental Darwin Nunez starts done the mediate aft his victor successful midweek.

Leandro Trossard mightiness consciousness he's connected bladed crystal aft a mates of underwhelming displays, including a missed punishment successful midweek. However, a instrumentality for Saka could let Arteta to determination the Belgian into much of a fig 10 relation down Kai Havertz.

Option 2 - Saka and Odegaard absent

Arsenal would person a fewer options if Saka can't marque it. Raheem Sterling started against Bournemouth, though helium was sacrificed aft Saliba's dismissal and mightiness beryllium regarded arsenic much of a seat enactment connected Sunday, portion there's besides the enactment of dropping Kai Havertz deeper and letting Gabriel Jesus pb the line.

Against an hostile arsenic beardown arsenic Liverpool, though, Arteta whitethorn opt for a much blimpish approach. After all, decision connected Sunday would permission his squad 7 points adrift of Slot's men.

Mikel Merino started up of Rice and Partey successful a midfield 3 astatine Bournemouth earlier the aboriginal reddish paper forced a shake-up. The Spaniard could good beryllium utilized arsenic portion of a combative midfield trio successful an effort to antagonistic the Merseyside club.

Option 3 - No Saka oregon Calafiori

Calafiori's aboriginal exit against Shakhtar looked concerning. The Italian attempted to play connected earlier yet realising helium was incapable to bash so, and Arsenal volition anticipation things aren't arsenic superior arsenic immoderate fear.

Partey played the 2nd fractional against Shakhtar astatine right-back, with Merino slotting into midfield. The aforesaid could beryllium required connected Sunday, with Timber taking Calafiori's spot connected the near and a Rice-Merino pivot.

In this setup, Arteta whitethorn good opt for a much fluid front-line. Gabriel Jesus has shown an quality to play connected the close oregon done the middle, and dropping Havertz deeper to enactment the midfield could springiness the Brazilian a mode in.

Option 4 - No Saka, Calafiori oregon Timber

Of course, each of the supra assumes Timber is acceptable to return. While Arteta appeared optimistic connected Monday, the Dutchman's engagement is not guaranteed. “It is going to beryllium close," Arsenal's manager told reporters up of the Shakhtar game. "We person to spot however helium deals with grooming with the full group. But helium is beauteous close.”

Myles Lewis-Skelly played 20 minutes astatine left-back connected Tuesday, but throwing the teen successful astatine the heavy extremity would beryllium a immense call. Lewis-Skelly has yet to commencement a elder crippled extracurricular the Carabao Cup, and Arteta whitethorn good inactive person nightmares astir young left-back Nuno Tavares' time to hide against Liverpool successful 2021.

Jakub Kiwior didn't screen himself successful glory aft coming disconnected the seat against Bournemouth, but it whitethorn good beryllium the lawsuit that the Pole gets the nod. Arsenal volition apt request to beryllium much compact than against weaker opponents, and this could extremity up suiting the erstwhile Spezia man, and a much antiaircraft setup mightiness besides spot Jorginho introduced successful a compact midfield.

Option 5 - New relation for Rice

Partey isn't the lone subordinate of Arsenal's midfield who could beryllium utilised successful a little acquainted role. Declan Rice played astatine centre-back connected a fig of occasions, and besides played astatine the backmost for Ireland earlier switching his planetary allegiances.

Granted, it's been a agelong clip since the midfielder got a regular tally of games arsenic a defender, but helium has shown helium has the carnal and tactical capabilities. The question is whether Arteta is prepared to sacrifice what helium tin connection done the middle.

Moving Rice to centre-back would mean Arsenal are inactive capable to usage White's attacking menace down the right. It's an enactment for Arteta careless of whether different defenders are available, and it could let Timber to look disconnected against the unsafe Mohamed Salah down Arsenal's left.

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