Confirmed Arsenal line-up v Chelsea: Attacker axed in three changes
By Matt Farr
Arsene Wenger has made three changes to his side to face Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
Hector Bellerin, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all come into the side, as the Gunners seek to make amends for their disastrous defeat at the hands of Watford on Tuesday.
Gabriel Paulista, Olivier Giroud and the injured Aaron Ramsey, meanwhile, drop out of the starting XI.
The confirmed Arsenal line-up was announced via the club’s official Twitter account prior to kick-off.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is named in a central-midfield role after passing a late fitness test, and will partner Francis Coquelin, with Wenger short of options.
Ramsey joins Santi Cazorla on the injury list, while Mohamed Elneny is on African Cup of Nations duty, and Granit Xhaka suspended.
Alexis Sanchez, meanwhile, returns to his more fruitful centre-forward role, replacing the absent Olivier Giroud, who is on the bench.
The Chile international has netted 17 goals already this season, but has found his productivity limited since being forced into a wider role to accommodate Giroud in the starting line-up.
The in-form Walcott also returns to the Arsenal attack, after netting a hat-trick in the FA Cup rout over Southampton at the end of last month.
Arsenal’s faint remaining Premier League title hopes ultimately hinge on securing three points from the meeting with Chelsea, so the Gunners require nothing but a win to satisfy the supporters.
They are already nine points behind league leaders Chelsea heading into the tie at Stamford Bridge. Defeat would also open the door for rivals Liverpool and Manchester City to jump ahead of them in the table, while Manchester United could also move to within two points.
In other Arsenal news, Chris Sutton believes Tottenham are better than Arsenal for this reason.
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