Arsenal take on West Ham United in the Carabao Cup tonight, and here’s our predicted Gunners XI for the game that many are calling the Declan Rice derby.
Mikel Arteta‘s side have had a great start to the season, having lost just one game in all competitions. They are unbeaten in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup, and they’ll be hoping to continue that tonight. Will Rice start?
Predicted Arsenal XI vs West Ham United
West Ham United host Arsenal in the Carabao Cup tonight, and it will be Declan Rice‘s first game back at the London Stadium since his move in the summer.
The Gunners signed the Englishman from the Irons for a club-record £105 million (The Athletic). He has been unbelievable for Arteta’s side so far, and he will be looking forward to facing his old club later today.
However, the Premier League and the Champions League are the priority for Arsenal, so we don’t think Arteta is going to use him from the get-go, despite hinting in his press conference that he’ll start.
We expect Rice to be on the bench and perhaps come on in the second half if required.
From the start, we think Aaron Ramsdale will get the nod in goal ahead of David Raya. The Englishman is desperate to show his worth after losing his place in the side, and a clean sheet today could go a long way in convincing Arteta to rethink his decision.
In defence, we expect Gabriel Magalhaes to come back into the side after getting a break on Saturday. However, he should replace William Saliba, who deserves a breather. Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko complete the backline.
In midfield, we expect Jorginho to start as the number six with Martin Odegaard and Fabio Vieira playing either side of him. The latter scored against Sheffield United, while the Arsenal captain was given the day off on Saturday.
Arsenal’s front three tonight will likely be Gabriel Martinelli on the left, Kai Havertz through the middle and Bukayo Saka on the right. Yes, we know the Englishman deserves a break, but Arteta rarely ever gives him one, so we expect him to start.
