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After the tough midweek trip against Bayern Munich, you can expect Wenger to tweak his line up, at least a little. Wenger says he will line up with a strong team but he has said that in the past and then made 11 changes. Of course Arsenal can make 11 changes and still put out a strong team, especially in comparison to Sutton United.
Arsenal cannot afford to be complacent though, with the Gunners only realistic trophy hope this season now being the FA Cup.
Goalkeeper: David Ospina
Ospina put in a great performance against Bayern Munich and should keep his place for this game and in the Premier League. The Colombian deserves a little run in the team as the Gunners attempt to rediscover their rhythm.
Defence: Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Rob Holding, Kieran Gibbs
I can see Mertesacker returning in this fixture and the impressive young Holding alongside him. Considering Mustafi and Gabriel’s performances in Germany, this duo have every chance of breaking into the starting eleven in the coming weeks. It might only be Sutton, but the game won’t be easy and a solid showing from that duo will go a long way to helping Arsenal win the game. I think the attacking full backs of Gibbs and Bellerin should start this game, giving Arsenal enough attacking outlets to break down a Sutton team that is likely to sit very deep.
Midfield: Granit Xhaka, Mohammed Elneny; Danny Welbeck, Jeff Rene-Adelaide, Lucas Perez
Xhaka and Elneny are perhaps the freshest central midfielders in the squad and also maybe the best on form. Coquelin was shocking in midweek and Cazorla and Ramsey are still injured. Oxlade-Chamberlain has been good there but he deserves a little break from that role. On the wings I’d like to see Lucas and Welbeck start, both players should be in the Arsenal stating eleven for the foreseeable future based on the poor recent form of Walcott and Iwobi. Jeff should get the nod in the number 10 role, his first team opportunities have been limited but with senior players failing to impress he deserves a chance to show why he should be in the first team squad.
Attacker: Olivier Giroud
Giroud has been left out the team in recent weeks as Alexis has got the nod up front. Giroud is perfect for what is likely to be a physical encounter, and he would love to get a goal or two to get back on form. He started 2017 well but in his most recent games he has struggled to impress.
