Arsenal get their mid-season friendlies under way with a clash against Lyon today. Former striker Alexandre Lacazette meets his old team for the first time since leaving at the end of last season and will reunite with plenty of his former teammates.
Meanwhile, he will not see his replacement Gabriel Jesus who remains in London having undergone knee surgery. Arsenal’s replacement Eddie Nketiah leads the line for the Gunners and has the opportunity to put the worries of supporters to rest.
Goals from the 23-year-old in this mid-season tournament will go a long way to reassuring supporters that in the absence of the Brazilian the number 14, who was awarded the shirt and a new contract in the summer, can step up to fill his spot. Should he fail, his whole future with the club could be at stake.
READ MORE: Arsenal vs Lyon LIVE: Gabriel, Tierney, Odegaard start, Zinchenko missing, score updates
Mikel Arteta has supported Nketiah with the remaining senior players. Karl Hein plays for the first time since his mistake against Brighton in the cup.
Cedric Soares, Rob Holding, Gabriel Magalhaes and Kieran Tierney make up the back line. The obvious absence is Oleksandr Zinchenko who is also not on the bench, giving a worry he might be injured; further updates from Mikel Arteta might be available after the game.
Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny form the base of the midfield behind Martin Odegaard. Fabio Vieira returns to play in the front three as he did away at PSV, supporting Nketiah with Reiss Nelson.
A youthful bench includes Marquinhos. Plus a potential senior appearance for Ethan Nwaneri for the first time since his cameo against Brentford in his record-breaking Premier League debut.
Starting XI: Hein, Cedric, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, Elneny, Lokonga, Nelson, Odegaard, Vieira, Nketiah. Subs: Hillson, Foran, Walters, Sousa, Smith, Cirjan, Lewis-Skelly, Cozier-Duberry, Nwaneri, Marquinhos, Sagoe Jr, Butler-Oyedeji
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