Ipswichvs.Arsenal

The Gunners head to East Anglia on the back of a phenomenal 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals, and it is as you were in terms of their fitness situation from the Bernabeu.

Jorginho (chest), Gabriel Jesus (knee), Gabriel Magalhaes (hamstring), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Kai Havertz (hamstring) are still sidelined, and the game may also come too soon for knee victim Riccardo Calafiori.

In between the Bernabeu and the visit of Crystal Palace on Wednesday, Arteta should swap out some jellied legs for some fresher ones, although David Raya, William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior will be offered no respite.

However, Ben White for Jurrien Timber is an obvious change to make, while Kieran Tierney could earn back-to-back Premier League starts as Myles Lewis-Skelly is granted a well-earned break.

Tierney could operate at left-back if Oleksandr Zinchenko deputises in midfield once more, potentially in place of Thomas Partey given he recently sustained a knock in the draw with Brentford last weekend.

Martin Odegaard should be fine to go again, having been offered a couple of rests in the Premier League of late, while the Duracell Bunny that is Declan Rice is also primed to continue in the left eight role.

Mikel Merino can therefore continue to shine in his emergency striker's role, potentially with a new supporting cast in Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard as Madrid goalscorers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are spared.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney; Odegaard, Zinchenko, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard

Written by

Ben Knapton