Arsenal begin their domestic cup campaign with a third-round League Cup encounter against Doncaster Rovers. Arsenal come into this fixture fresh from their impressive 0-0 stalemate against Chelsea on Sunday, and will look to build on the form shown in the impressive outing at Stamford Bridge. Arsene Wenger will have one eye on West Brom’s visit to the Emirates, after which a Champions League tip to BATE Borisov looms large. So, it is without any doubt, that fixtures like these will prove as testing grounds for more of the fringe players in that Arsenal squad.
Let us look at how Arsenal vs Doncaster predicted line up:
Predicted Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper:
David Ospina
The Columbian will play second fiddle to Petr Cech for most part of this season, and will look to redeem himself after being beaten by a wordily of a goal courtesy of Cordoba of FC Koln.
Defense:
Chambers – Mertesacker – Holding
The encounter might see the resurgence of Callum Chambers, who will be making his first appearance following his return from a loan period. Mertesacker will be playing at the pivot, with Rob Holding to his other side. These are the type of fixtures where we could see Holding and Chambers feature heavily, and their performance in such games would prove vital for their chances in the first team, if any.
Wingbacks:
Wilson – Maitland-Niles
Ainsley Maitland-Niles put in a decent performance in the Europa League encounter against FC Basel, and will be expected to take up the role of LWB against Doncaster. His partner down the other wing would be fellow academy graduate, Reiss Wilson. A lot has been said about the potential that these two possess, and their performances will be under close scrutiny.
Midfield:
Wilshere – Elneny
The midfield would see the reinstatement of Jack Wilshere and Mohamed Elneny in the line-up. No apparent reason for this, apart from Arsenal’s alarming lack of depth in central midfield.
Attack:
Sanchez – Giroud – Walcott
Alexis Sanchez, who started on the bench for the game against Chelsea would be expected to start at LW for the Gunners. Olivier Giroud has always been Arsenal’s go-to man for goals and will be expected to deliver as an out and out striker. Theo Walcott’s Arsenal career seems to have hit a period of stagnation. He will need to perform whenever provided with the chance, else face a long wait on the sidelines.
Here’s how Arsenal vs Doncaster line up could look:
