Arsenal are out to continue their title charge as travel to face Brentford in the Premier League on Thursday night.
Manchester City have piled the pressure back on Arsenal, and the Gunners’ lead may have been cut to three points by kick-off.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Brentford
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Havertz, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Brentford have been rock-solid at home this season and Arsenal will be looking to become just the third team to win at the Gtech Stadium in the league.
London derbies have been something of a forte for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, however. The Gunners have lost just one and won 17 of their last 23 games against fellow capital clubs.
Arsenal team news vs Brentford
Viktor Gyokeres scored twice after coming off the bench in Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Sunderland at the weekend. He’ll be pushing to start as Arsenal’s striker ahead of Gabriel Jesus.
Bukayo Saka remains sidelined with a hip issue and is not expected back until next weekend, while Mikel Merino is set to miss much of the season due to injury.
There also remains uncertainty surrounding the status of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian has missed the last two games with a minor muscle injury, although initial reports suggest he could be involved in the matchday squad.
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Leandro Trossard was forced off against the Black Cats with a similar issue. It remains to be seen if he has recovered in time to feature in this clash with Brentford.
Max Dowman remains a few weeks away from recovering from an ankle injury.
Arsenal’s hidden goal threat
With the Premier League title race hotting up, Arsenal need to be firing on all cylinders after Man City’s dramatic 2-1 comeback win at Anfield on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s men host Fulham on Wednesday with the chance to cut the Gunners’ lead at the top of the table to just three points.
Coming into this midweek round of fixtures, only the top three have won more games this season than Brentford’s 12. And the Bees have been particularly strong at home. This will prove to be another test of Arsenal’s title credentials.
Martin Zubimendi has impressed in the Gunners midfield as of late, particularly in Odegaard’s absence. Mikel Arteta was quick to praise the Spanish midfielder after he scored the opener against Sunderland.
He said: “He’s contributing now to the team in a way that probably we didn’t expect that much, but he really has an intuition and quality to deliver those moments in and around the box.”
Only Sweden Gyokeres has scored more goals in the league for Arsenal this season than Zubimendi’s total of five. And, if the Gunners are to win at Brentford, his performance will likely be crucial.