Arsenal vs Ipswich predicted XIs: Confirmed team news and probable line-ups
Arsenal got back to winning ways with a 5-1 Premier League win at Crystal Palace on Saturday after dropping points in their previous two fixtures, and they will be looking for more of the same when they host struggling Ipswich.
The Gunners went into Christmas in third place in the table after earlier losing ground in draws against Fulham and Everton, but the Tractor Boys have only Southampton below them after finding the going tough in the top flight following back-to-back promotions.
The teams will meet at the Emirates Stadium in the latter of the two Premier League games on Friday (27th December) with kick-off scheduled for 20:15 GMT.
Arsenal vs Ipswich predicted line-ups
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Martinelli, Jesus, Trossard.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1): Muric; Clarke, Greaves, Burgess, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Hutchinson, Chaplin, Szmodics; Delap
Arsenal vs Ipswich team news
Bukayo Saka (hamstring) and Raheem Sterling (knee) are Arsenal’s latest injury victims, with both expected to be sidelined for several weeks.
Ben White (knee) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) are also long-term absentees. On a more positive note, Oleksandr Zinchenko could return to the squad this week, while Riccardo Calafiori is fit again and could replace Myles Lewis-Skelly in the line-up.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna will be delighted to have top scorer Liam Delap available again after serving a one-match suspension, but captain Sam Morsy is banned for this match after receiving a yellow card in the 4-0 defeat against Newcastle.
Gunners preparing for life without Saka
Saka has been a huge part of Arsenal’s improvement over the last couple of seasons but manager Mikel Arteta must now plan for life without the England star for the foreseeable future.
Arteta will certainly hope the injury does not have the same effect on his team that the loss of influential midfielder Rodri has had at Manchester City, but he has plenty of options to fill his place in the team.
Sterling would have been a prime candidate to get more playing time in Saka’s absence, but he is now facing a spell on the sidelines with a knee problem.
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Gabriel Martinelli moved over to the right wing after Saka went off against Crystal Palace and did extremely well, scoring the Gunners’ fourth goal, and he may be given the chance to make that role his own.
Saka has suffered three hamstring injuries this season, and this latest tear is the most serious one so far.
“It’s not looking good. He’s gonna be out for many weeks,” said Arteta.
“It’s a huge one. He’s obviously a big player for us, you just have to see the impact that he has on the team.
“It’s going to be a really good exercise for us to think of ways to overcome another challenge because we’ve had a lot over the season.”
“We have to look internally at what we have and be creative. It’s a good exercise again of how can we mould the squad, how can we adapt to the circumstances and how can we be different,” added the Arsenal manager.
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