Arsenal have been boosted by the return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to training but manager Mikel Arteta still has a few doubts ahead of Tuesday evening’s match with Wolves.
Aubameyang missed Arsenal’s last three games to travel abroad and be with his unwell mother, but upon his return to England he has since been cleared to train with his team-mates after testing negative for Covid-19.
Arteta must now decide whether Aubameyang is fit to start at Wolves, and if so, who potentially misses out as a result.
Alexandre Lacazette has started Arsenal’s last five Premier League games, scoring three times in that run, and his form means Aubameyang is more likely to be considered for a wide role.
Nicolas Pepe is the player to have benefited from Aubameyang’s absence, starting the last two games, while Gabriel Martinelli started in Saturday’s draw with Manchester United as Bukayo Saka missed the match with a sore hip.
Saka faces a late fitness test before the Wolves match, and so Arteta may opt not to risk the England international, particularly with Aubameyang back in the fold too.
Full debut for Odegaard?
In midfield, it appears likely Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Emile Smith Rowe will start for the third straight league match together.
The trio have emerged as Arteta’s first-choice midfield in recent weeks, and the only likely alteration would be Martin Odegaard being handed his full debut after appearing off the bench against United.
Dani Ceballos could be back in contention after missing the last three league matches but like Saka, the Spaniard will be assessed ahead of the Wolves trip.
Tierney remains out
Defensively, one certainty is that Kieran Tierney will not feature with a discomfort in his right lower leg ruling him out.
Cedric Soares is expected to continue at left-back, meaning the back four looks set to be unchanged for the third league match in a row as Rob Holding, David Luiz and Hector Bellerin have no fresh injury concerns.
Having trimmed his squad in the January transfer window, it will also be worth noting which players make the bench after a couple of regular substitutes were sent out on loan.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has joined West Brom for the remainder of the season, likewise Joe Willock at Newcastle, and that frees up two spaces in Arteta’s squad given the pair started the majority of league games on the bench. An opportunity, perhaps, for youth players to get a taste of the matchday experience.
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