Arsenal predicted starting XI v Leicester as Kai Havertz replacement chosen while £50m man misses out

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Arsenal will look to bounce back from their League Cup disappointment and make it three Premier League wins in a row when they head to Leicester City on Saturday.

However, the Gunners find themselves in a difficult situation with regards to their front line in wake of Kai Havertz’s season-ending injury.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has some thinking to do over who to name in his front three along with what options he can utilise off the bench if needed.

TBR Football looks at who Arteta could name in his starting XI for Saturday’s 12:30pm kick-off at the King Power Stadium.

READ MORE: Arsenal fans keen on signing 72-cap free agent who thrives when ‘things are tough’ as Kai Havertz cover

Arsenal team news v Leicester

Arsenal confirmed earlier this week that Havertz suffered a hamstring injury at the team’s training camp in Dubai.

The Germany international will need surgery ahead of a long rehabilitation period, and is not expected back until next season.

Arteta is also without the injured Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, but Ben White is available for the first time since suffering a knee injury in November.

Meanwhile, Leicester are without Ricardo Pereira and Abdul Fatawu, though Jamie Vardy, Jannik Vestergaard and Victor Kristiansen are all in contention to return from injury.

Ben White and Mikel Merino tipped to miss out for Arsenal

Attack aside, Arsenal are pretty well-stocked in every other department, which means Arteta can select a fairly strong line-up for the most part.

David Raya is expected to start in goal, while Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Myles Lewis-Skelly are also likely to start.

Arteta could potentially start Ben White at right-back or centre-back, but given the £50million man is only just back, there’s a good chance he’ll be eased back into the game.

Likewise, Riccardo Calafiori could feature at left-back, but with Lewis-Skelly in such good form, the Italian seems likely to miss out.

Arsenal’s midfield three is also likely to be unchanged from the Newcastle game.

This would mean Thomas Partey in the centre and Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard either side of him.

As for the attack, Arteta only has three available players in Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri, and we think all three will start.

Trossard is likely to lead the line in the absence of Havertz, with Sterling and Nwaneri either side of him.

Mikel Merino has been tipped to feature as an auxiliary centre-forward, but we think Arteta will keep the £32million man on the bench at the start.

Arsenal predicted XI (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Trossard, Sterling