Arsenal have regained the top spot on the Premier League table and now, they will be looking to hold onto that position by beating Luton Town in midweek.
Luton have picked up just nine points from their first fourteen matches and on paper, they are no match for Mikel Arteta’s side. However, the newly promoted team have gathered up some impressive points, including a recent win over Crystal Palace and a draw vs Liverpool at home.
Arsenal are undefeated in 14 of their last 15 league matches and we are not expecting any major hiccups on Tuesday night. They played on Saturday night so fatigue will be the only concern for the Gunners manager but three points are absolutely necessary because Liverpool and Manchester City are within touching distance on the table.
A draw will still keep them at the top but a loss could see Arsenal end the matchweek in the third spot.
Arsenal’s team news and injuries:
Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey and Smith Rowe are all ruled out with injuries while midfielder Fabio Vieira is suspended for the Luton Town game.
Tomiyasu was one of the standout players in the 2-1 win over Wolves at the weekend but was forced off with a muscle injury and now he remains a doubt for midweek. If the right-back is unavailable then Ben White is going to come into the starting line up. His manager has told the press on Monday that Tomiyasu might not be risked.
“We assessed him after the game, we took him off as a precaution so we’ll wait,” the Arsenal manager has hinted. “Whether it’s useful to use him or not, we will decide tomorrow. He’s a strong boy and hopefully he’ll be fine.”
The manager has also updated that Ben White has made a full recovery which means he is going to replace Tomiyasu on the right-hand side.
“After his injury and the way we decided to manage his load, he’s feeling perfect and back to fitness,” Mikel Arteta said. “He played some minutes and he’s now in a good place.”
Leandro Trossard played as the third midfielder on Saturday but we expect Jorginho to come into the side for this one. With Vieira and Partey both missing, Declan Rice and Odegaard cannot afford to be rested.
Kai Havertz and Eddie Nketiah came off the bench at the weekend but Nketiah will come into the first XI. Havertz has started only eight EPL matches this season but because Luton are a very weak side, the Arsenal manager won’t mind putting the German into the side, out on the left flank.
Arsenal predicted line up vs Luton Town:
Predicted Starting line up(4-3-3): Raya; Gabriel, Saliba, Zinchenko, White; Declan Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard; Bukayo Saka, Nketiah, Havertz/Martinelli.
