Arsenal are set to face Swiss champions Basel on the second match day in Champions League as they look to stay in contention for the top spot in the group.
The match is going to be crucial for the Gunners as they could increase pressure on Paris saint-Germain to deliver if they can clinch points in the game which could help them win the group and henceforth eliminating the draw against Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid in the early rounds of knockout phases.
Wenger knows the importance of winning the group as the club were drawn against European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the recent years and their progress was halted in the round of 16 as they failed to break the jinx by the winning the knockout game in the recent years.
Here we look at the predicted lineup for Arsenal as the Gunners welcome Swiss champions Basel who have not lost a single game in their last 11 fixtures.
Arsenal are expected to start with David Ospina between the sticks as the Colombian impressed everyone with his skills against PSG but had made way for Petr Cech as the Czech international is the Gunners No.1.
The defense will not have any changes as the back four has impressed everyone with their brilliant performance against Chelsea as they managed to keep the Blues’ attackers quiet throughout the game.
Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny has formed a deadly combination of defense at the center of the park while Bellerin have been exciting going forward and with his pace. Monreal is set to start on the left-hand side of the defense after his good outing against Chelsea last weekend.
The injury to Francis Coquelin means Arsene Wenger is not going to have many headaches while choosing his defensive midfielders. Arsenal are expected to field Santi Cazorla and Granit Xhaka in the defensive midfield as the duo have been very impressive in the recent weeks.
Mesut Ozil is expected to start as the central attacking midfielder as he plays the role of a No.10 in the side. He is set to be joined with Iwobi on the left wing as the 20-year old has been the best youngster in the league this season so far. Alexis Sanchez is set to start on the right side of the attack as Theo Walcott is expected to be benched despite his good performances off-late.
Lucas Perez is set to have another chance in the Gunners lineup to show his quality as Olivier Giroud was suspended for the fixture after his red card against Paris Saint-Germain in the opening match day at Parc des Princes.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospina, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Xhaka, Cazorla, Sanchez, Ozil, Iwobi, Perez