Arsenal team v Villa tonight. The media is not sure about the team

 

Previously

• • Arsenal v Aston Villa: comparing the winning runs of each team
  • Arsenal v Aston Villa and the insane range of referee decisions
  • Arsenal v Villa at 8.15 Tuesday. Villa’s approach
  • Why is one referee in line to see the same team 8 times this season?

By Tony Attwood

There is talk in the Standard that Gabriel is ready to start in this match and that Jurrien Timber will be back after he missed the Brighton game, having got an injury in the League Cup match.   Calafiori was withdrawn from the squad for the Brighton game  at the last minute, but if he is still missing then again Myles Lewis-Skelly should play.   If Timber plays he will take over Declan Rice’s position, and Rice will simply move across the midfield  line.

It is generally thought that Havertz will be in the squad and could come on as a sub.

The Standard give us a line up of 

Raya;

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly;

Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard;

Saka, Jesus, Martinelli

Although much of the media is writing up the situation at Arsenal as one of uncertainty and thus something to Arsenal’s detriment, the fact is that it also means that until one hour before kick off the opposition don’t really know who they are facing, and they have to hand their team sheet in just as Arsenal do.   So that uncertainty could work to Arsenal’s benefit.

The Metro gives us a line up of

Raya;

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincappie

 Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice,

Saka, Gyokeress, Trossard

Mind you that is the Metro, and even now after all this years, on their football page next to the line up they have a link to Arsene Wenger blocked my dream move to Arsenal – so I joined Man City   They never ever let go.

The New York Times says that Kai Havertz was “spotted with the squad on their pre-match walk on Tuesday morning,” which really takes  us back a bit to the days when no column was complete without someone being spotted somewhere and this being taken as “a sign”.

But perhaps a little more informatively they do tell us that, “Villa, meanwhile, will be without right-back Matty Cash and midfielder Boubacar Kamara, both of whom picked up their fifth bookings of the season against Chelsea on Saturday and are suspended.”

There is, meanwhile a very curious piece on the BBC site which has an interview with the Villa manager who is sort of suggesting that some clubs are getting an advantage out of the way the fixtures are being arranged.   Actually I think this is a bit of a bluff, for it would appear from the outside that everything that  can be fixed is being fixed and probably has been for many seasons.

Meanwhile back somewhere closer to planet reality Football London offer us the team of 

Raya;

Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly;

Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard;

Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.

The Express tell us that  Arteta hasn’t held a pre-match press conference as he previewed the Villa game immediately after defeating Brighton, so “we’re somewhat in the dark regarding whether either will feature.”

And that is interesting since the lack of press conference means that  the journalists have to do some work – or at least make something up for themselves.

In the end they come up with a team of 

 Raya;

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie;

Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard;

Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.

which we might say seems somewhat familiar.   We shall find out soon.

Meanwhile on the Arsenal History Society site we are continuing to review Arsenal’s 100 years in the top division.   The latest articles are

• 1953/4: the Arsenal collapse begins
• Arsenal 1952/53. Whittaker fulfills his destiny but then Arsenal collapse

You’ll also find links to all the previous articles in the series, on the site.