Arsenal expected 4-2-3-1 to face Hull: Cech one of senior men axed
By Matt Farr
Arsene Wenger is likely to axe Petr Cech from his Arsenal starting XI to face Hull in the Premier League on Saturday.
The 34-year-old has come under fire in recent weeks, and is likely to be replaced by deputy stopper David Ospina.
Gabriel Paulista is also expected to come into the side, at the expense of Hector Bellerin, who suffered a nasty head injury in the defeat to Chelsea last week – despite reports that the Spaniard could be fit.
Despite a hapless display from many members of the Arsenal side against the Premier League leaders, Wenger is not expected to make any further changes.
Ospina has yet to feature for Arsenal in the Premier League this term, having been preferred only in the cup competitions.
However, Cech’s recent poor form has raised many questions over his ability to perform at the top level, and the Colombian is likely to be handed a chance to make the No.1 jersey his own for the coming weeks.
The Arsenal defence hardly covered themselves in glory against Chelsea either, but Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi remain Arsenal’s strongest possible centre-back pairing and are almost certain to continue.
Prior to the consecutive defeats to Watford and Chelsea last week, Mustafi had yet to lose a game for Arsenal, highlighting how impressive has been this season.
Nacho Monreal is certain to fend off competition from Kieran Gibbs for the left-back spot in Wenger’s starting XI.
Due to a lack of other options, Wenger is also likely to stick with his central-midfield partnership of Francis Coquelin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, which may concern Arsenal fans, who watched the duo fall to pieces against Chelsea’s midfield unit.
Big improvements will be needed from both players, with Wenger currently missing Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey through injury, while Granit Xhaka is serving the last of his four-game suspension.
Mohamed Elneny, meanwhile, has returned from international duty at the African Cup of Nations, but has a minor knock, and is still to be assessed.
The attacking-quartet is not likely to change either, despite a fairly tame display last time out. Olivier Giroud, who came off the bench to score a consolation goal, is expected to remain as a substitute, meaning Alexis Sanchez leads the line once again.
Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi will make up the remainder of the attacking unit. Lucas Perez is still recovering from the injury that kept him out of the Chelsea game, while Danny Welbeck is to remain on the bench.
Arsenal simply have to win the game to maintain their grip on the top-four. They are already two points adrift of third-placed Manchester City, while Liverpool and Manchester United can both jump ahead of the Gunners if they fail to win against Hull.
In other Arsenal team news, Chris Sutton believes Arsene Wenger will leave the club if this happens.
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