Jurrien Timber call made as 'extraordinary' £58k-a-week talent comes in: Arsenal predicted XI v Southampton
10/05/2024 02:45 AM
Arsenal are flying high at present, once again putting themselves in Premier League title contention and also impressing in the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
The Gunners will now hope to make it four wins in a row in all competitions when they host Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Arsenal will be favourites at home against the struggling Premier League newcomers, but Mikel Arteta will be taking nothing for granted.
TBR Football now looks at who Arteta could name in his starting XI for the Gunners’ last match before the October international break.
Arsenal team news v Southampton
Arsenal currently have several doubts at the back, which means Arteta may have to shuffle his defensive pack.
Jurrien Timber came off at half-time against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday with a muscular issue.
Meanwhile, Ben White missed the Champions League game with a knock and Takehiro Tomiyasu has been out all season so far with a knee issue.
Timber – who’s out of the Netherlands squad for the October break – apparently remains a ‘huge doubt’ for the game, while White wasn’t spotted in training.
As for definite absences, the Gunners will be without Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
READ MORE: Chris Sutton predicts how Arsenal will fare against Southampton
One change on the cards for Arsenal
With all that in mind, Arteta may only need to make one change to his starting XI from the PSG game.
Arsenal named a strong XI in midweek and this is likely to be the case again.
Calafiori could now be shifted onto the right-hand side of defence, while Jakub Kiwior could come in on the left-hand side.
The 'extraordinary'£58,000-a-week defender would be making his first Premier League start of the season if he comes in.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes will be expected to start at centre-back, barring any late issues.
There shouldn’t be any changes elsewhere, with Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz likely to start in midfield.
Leandro Trossard should continue to lead the line, flanked by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
