Arsenal predicted XI today: Rarely-seen £7m man starts as Mikel Arteta gives two competitive debuts

Add as preferred source on Google

Four weeks ago, Arsenal triumphed in the FA Cup final and finally brought the curtain down on the 2019-20 domestic season.

Now, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are back at Wembley for the 2020-21 curtain-raiser as they face Premier League champions Liverpool for the Community Shield.

Although Arsenal finished 43 points behind Liverpool in the table, they did beat Jurgen Klopp’s side late on in the season, so they’ll fancy their chances of getting a second trophy in as many competitive games.

That said, Gunners have just a handful of training sessions and one pre-season game under their belt, and Arteta will also look to balance between looking to win the trophy and managing his players’ game time ahead of the new season.

While Emiliano Martinez deputised superbly for Bernd Leno late last term, Arteta is likely to give the latter – who played against MK Dons in midweek – a spot in the starting XI in a bid to get him back up to speed in a competitive setting.

Assuming Arsenal line up in a 3-4-3 formation, Arteta is likely to go with Kieran Tierney on the left of the three, David Luiz in the middle, and William Saliba on the right for his competitive Arsenal debut.

Things are a little trickier on the flanks – the Arsenal futures of Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are uncertain, while Bukayo Saka, as impressive as he is at left wing-back, prefers playing further up.

That said, Saka is likely to be deployed at left wing-back again as Tierney is in the centre and the front three is well stocked, while on the other flank, Cedric Soares will probably get the nod.

With Dani Ceballos no longer at the club, rarely-seen £7million man Mohamed Elneny – who started and scored in midweek following his return from Besiktas – could be deployed alongside Granit Xhaka in central midfield.

The front three, meanwhile, could see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the left, Willian on the right for his competitive debut, and Eddie Nketiah in the middle.

Arsenal predicted starting XI (3-4-3): Leno; Saliba, Luiz, Tierney; Cedric, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka; Willian, Nketiah, Aubameyang