Arsenal are in Europa League action tonight as they look to get past Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners played out a 2-2 draw in Lisbon last week and will hope to finish the job in north London.
William Saliba’s early goal was cancelled out by Goncalo Inacio’s towering header.
Then, Paulinho’s strike made it 2-1 to Sporting, but Hidemasa Morita’s own goal levelled the tie.
With Arsenal topping the Premier League table, Mikel Arteta could ring the changes tonight.
One of his toughest decisions is likely to come at centre-back.
You’d think Arteta would steer clear of a William Saliba – Gabriel partnership, with an eye on Sunday’s match.
However, Jakub Kiwior struggled in the first leg against Sporting.
With that in mind, we predict Rob Holding could partner Gabriel at the back.
‘He’s always there’
The 27-year-old has been an outstanding squad member for Arsenal since joining back in 2016.
The Gunners reportedly paid a mere £2million for Holding, and he has repaid that many times over.
Holding is a manager’s dream. Arteta himself called him “exceptional” a few months ago.
“Rob in particular has been exceptional because he’s always there,” he said.
“The way he trains when you need him for 15/20 minutes to close a game, he’s always been there and available.”
Holding doesn’t mind being a back-up, he trains well and is obviously a very solid and talented player.
He’s just the kind of player you want in your squad, particularly when fighting on multiple fronts.
Arsenal could unleash Holding tonight and hopefully his quality and experience will help the Gunners get over the line.
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