Arsenal face AC Milan in their final game of the mini tournament in the December mid-season break. The Gunners will return to play Juventus at the Emirates this weekend which is scheduled to be the final friendly before the Premier League returns on Boxing Day.
Arsenal have kicked off their preparations well with a comfortable 3-0 victory over a Lyon side who would then beat Liverpool just a few days later. Many impressed in the game against the Ligue 1 side, including several youngsters who will hope to be rewarded with more minutes on Tuesday afternoon.
Mikel Arteta has the opportunity to somewhat experiment with his Arsenal team. However, if he is struggling for direction, the football.london writers are on hand to give their suggestions of who they think should get the nod as the Gunners attempt to win the Dubai Super Cup with a victory against Milan.
Tom Canton – Arsenal Fan Brands Writer
The big thing that is perhaps skipped over in looking ahead to Boxing Day is aside from the obvious absence of Gabriel Jesus, there is another regular starter that could not be ready to come immediately back into the fold. England’s elimination to France meant the club are welcoming back Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale to the fold but it also saw Les Bleus progress.
William Saliba, should France beat Morocco as they are expected to, would be in Qatar until at least the day after the World Cup final on December 18., meaning he’d return to the club at the earliest on December 20.
With this in mind, Ben White’s return to centre-half might be the way forwards, with Takehiro Tomiyasu potentially seeing a return against Juventus on December 17 at right back. Although the Milan game may come too soon, which would see Cedric start again.
Kieran Tierney continues at left-back whilst Oleksandr Zinchenko recovers from a tight muscle problem. The only other addition to the line-up from the Lyon game is Thomas Partey, who has already reintegrated.
Fabio Vieira again should start; he needs to continue to grasp the opportunity of this mid-season break having missed the preseason with an injury. His goal and assist against Lyon showed that opportunity.
The rest of the side relatively picks itself. As Arteta gets more senior players back, fewer opportunities for youngsters are sure to be given and so the likes of Lino Sousa, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who impressed last week, should certainly be considered.
Canton’s Arsenal XI vs AC Milan: Turner; Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Lokonga, Odegaard; Vieira, Nelson, Nketiah
Bailey Keogh - Arsenal Fan Brands Writer
With first-team players returning from the World Cup, it is important that Mikel Arteta reintegrates the players back into the squad with the Premier League just two weeks away.
Matt Turner has been training and should be given the chance to start against AC Milan. Ben White’s return means that he should start at right-back, with Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes playing in the centre of defence. Kieran Tierney should keep his spot at left-back after starting against Lyon.
With Thomas Partey back in training, it means that he should start with Albert Sambi Lokonga and Martin Odegaard on either side of the Ghanaian after they worked well with each other against Lyon.
Fabio Vieira played excellent on the right-hand side against Lyon, and he should keep his place despite Bukayo Saka’s anticipated return. Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah should also remain in the starting line-up after impressive performances in the last match.
Keogh’s Arsenal XI vs AC Milan: Turner; White, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Lokonga, Partey, Odegaard; Vieira, Nelson, Nketiah
Kaya Kaynak - Arsenal Writer
I know he's just a day back into training, but I think I would look to give Matt Turner the first half against Milan on Tuesday. Karl Hein was impressive against Lyon in the shootout, but Arteta still needs chances to find out about his No. 2 stopper after limited games in the first half of the season.
At right-back, I think a half of football for Ben White might also be a smart move given that he's hardly played for a month now and is in need of some match fitness. Inside of him, I'd be looking to keep the central defensive pairing of Rob Holding and Gabriel going as the pair looked very impressive against Lyon.
Perhaps the only youngster I'd look to throw into the defence would be Lino Sousa. Kieran Tierney is now an even more crucial player with Alex Zinchenko's injury struggles even if Arsenal are confident the Ukrainian will be back for Boxing Day. Sousa was great in his cameo against Lyon and his knowledge of Portuguese could lead to some good communication with Gabriel.
In midfield, I wouldn't personally look to risk Thomas Partey unless he's totally fit. I know he has had the most holiday of the three who returned this week, and that I have included the other two, but Partey is so crucial to Arsenal that he needs to be wrapped in cotton wool. Perhaps the game against Juventus will be the one to give him a start.
Martin Odegaard is an obvious pick and I don't really think you can do anything other than reward Albert Sambi Lokonga and Fabio Vieira with more game time after their displays against Lyon
.I might be tempted just to give Marquinhos a go on the left wing after being slightly disappointed with Reiss Nelson last time out and up top, the plan to prepare Eddie Nketiah to take over as the starting Premier League striker has to continue.
Kaynak's Arsenal XI vs AC Milan - Turner; White, Holding, Gabriel, Sousa; Elneny, Lokonga, Odegaard; Vieira, Nketiah, Marquinhos.
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