Arsenal team news vs Chelsea as Martinelli dropped from predicted XI

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could hand Leandro Trossard an opportunity to prove his worth against Chelsea following his bright 30-minute cameo against Manchester City last time out. It is crucial that the Gunners boss gets his team selection bang on the money, as more dropped points would effectively bury their remaining Premier League title chances. With that in mind, Express Sport takes you through how Arsenal could line up for the Blues’ visit to the Emirates…

Goalkeeper: Ramsdale

While the Gunners have plenty to shout about after what has been a stellar season so far, defence isn’t necessarily their strong point, with a sizeable haul of 38 goals conceded surprisingly three more than Frank Lampard’s struggling Chelsea side.

Even so, Aaron Ramsdale’s number-one status is under no serious threat from back-up option Matt Turner, so he is virtually certain to remain between the stick after heroic spells against Liverpool and Bournemouth this term.

Defence: White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko

Arteta has hardly wavered from the full-back duo of Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko this campaign. The pair are once again hot favourites to start against the Blues, but the Arsenal boss’ main problems lie in central defence.

The Gunners have shipped at least two goals in each of their last four games, with starting centre-back William Saliba proving to be a huge miss as his recovery from a back injury drags on. Gabriel Magalehaes and Rob Holding will likely be left to hold the fort, despite the latter being given the runaround by City superstar Erling Haaland last week.

Attack: Saka, Jesus, Trossard

Gabriel Martinelli has only started on the bench once for Arsenal in the Premier League this season. But his ineffective display against City, coupled with Trossard’s exciting cameo in the closing stages of the game, could see the Brazilian replaced by the Belgian on Tuesday.

Arteta signed Trossard for £27million in the hope of providing his attackers with fresh competition, and although Martinelli remains the Gunners’ top scorer in the league this term with 15 goals, it may take a ruthless decision to steer Arsenal back on course.

Elsewhere in the front-line, dropping Bukayo Saka remains unthinkable and Gabriel Jesus has rediscovered his scoring touch since recovering from injury, making him a shoo-in to play through the middle.