Arsenal enter 2025 second in the Premier League and 11 games unbeaten, but the mood in north London does not paint the brightest of pictures.
A lot of it has to do with Bukaya Saka’s recent injury which will keep him sidelined for at least a few months. Life without their superstar winger began with a 1-0 win against Ipswich Town on Friday night – a performance that summed up the latest iteration of Mikel Arteta’s side: firm and controlled but devoid of ruthless edge.
This will be a pain for the title hopefuls, but they are a good enough team even without Saka to stay in the competition. Liverpool must be waiting for a miss, right?
Either way, their margin for error is so small and just three points will do when they travel to Brentford on New Year’s Day. Here’s how the Gunners could line up on Gtech.
GK: David Raya – Raya was ineligible to face the Bees last season as he joined the Gunners on an initial loan, but the Spaniard is ready to take charge of his former club after completing a permanent transfer in the summer.
RB: Jurrien Timber – There have been plenty of Timbers over the past month as a result of Arsenal’s full-back injuries. He is such a good footballer, but there is a risk of burning out.
CB: William Saliba – Saliba has a big part to play in keeping the speedy Bees at bay on Wednesday. Ipswich allowed the Frenchman to complete passes at will on Friday and the defender has room for another monster performance on New Year’s Day.
CB: Gabriel – Set-ups have been key to Arsenal’s success this term and they will need Gabriel to continue his dominance in the opposition penalty area while Saka is out. He missed a great opportunity on Friday night.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly – Riccardo Calafiori will certainly play a role, but Lewis-Skelly does not deserve to be dropped. He has looked completely at ease since joining the senior set-up.
CM: Declan Rice – Arteta recently spoke about Rice’s role in midfield depending on the opponent. WITH Arsenal likely to dominate territorially and Brentford boasting a distinct threat on the counter, it makes sense for Rice to start again at the base of the midfield over Thomas Partey.
CM: Mikel Merino – The Gunners need bodies in the box on Wednesday, and Mero’s demolition could come in handy. The midfielder’s career has yet to ignite in North London.
CM: Martin Odegaard – Skipper is starting to have more and more success as a metronome and we should expect to see him drop deeper and wider in an attempt to dictate proceedings. However, Arsenal will also require his key ability in the final third.
RW: Gabriel Martinelli – Arteta will not give up on Martinelli’s right-wing experiment after one start. The Brazilian should get another try despite his struggles on Friday night.
ST: Kai Havertz – The German played his best game of late against Ipswich, but could return to a central forward role here. Havertz scored two late winners against Brentford last season.
LW: Gabriel Jesus – Jesus will remain in the team and operate in a fluid function on the left. He will rotate freely and have many opportunities to occupy the box. His hitting streak came to an end last time out.
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