Three Arsenal fringe players who must start vs Chelsea, one has 94% pass completion this season
Arsenal face a tough test of their title credentials as they take on rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Arsenal blew Bayern Munich away in the Champions League on Wednesday (26 November) night as two late strikes saw them win 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Jurrien Timber had given the Gunners the lead before Lennart Karl equalised, with Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli both scoring in the second-half to secure a vital victory.
Their focus will now shift back to the Premier League, where they sit top of the table and six points ahead of their upcoming opponents, second-placed Chelsea.
With Mikel Arteta‘s side able to pull further away in the race for the title with a win on Sunday (30 November), Football Insider have picked out three fringe players who deserve to start at Stamford Bridge.
Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres is being assessed by Arsenal to see if he is fit to play against Chelsea this weekend, and he has to be named in the starting eleven if he is deemed ready to feature.
Mikel Merino has done well in his absence, but Gyokeres makes Arsenal a better, more complete team, as he occupies defenders, takes more shots and presses with intensity when needed.
Even though he has been sidelined since 1 November, these are the kinds of games in which the Gunners will need star power to carry them through, and the Swede has been signed to help them win such big occasions.
He also found his shooting boots just before his injury, with three goals in his last four games, and must be a shoo-in for Arteta on Sunday provided he is fit enough to make the squad.
Noni Madueke
Madueke returned from a two-month lay-off against Tottenham last weekend then he came on from the bench to put the Gunners in the lead against Bayern with Leandro Trossard limping off through injury.
Arsenal fans fumed at Madueke’s injury after he had started the campaign well following his move from Chelsea, and his versatility should stand him in good stead to start against his old club.
He will be out for revenge after Chelsea players mocked Madueke in the summer for leaving before they won the Club World Cup, and Arteta must use that to his advantage to hand him a big opportunity with Trossard’s fitness not guaranteed.
Piero Hincapie
Arteta has a big call to make regarding who he chooses to partner William Saliba in West London on Sunday, and he should pick Piero Hincapie.
The Ecuador international shone in his first Premier League start against Spurs last weekend, with his left-footedness being a real asset to Arsenal as they aimed to build-up from their backline.
Mosquera started and played the full 90 minutes against Bayern in midweek, and while he has not put a foot wrong so far, Hincapie’s extra fitness and better career experience should mean he is put back into the first eleven this weekend.