After 44 days without a competitive fixture, Arsenal will be in action three times in just over a week as they face Brighton and Hove Albion in the final Premier League game of 2022 on Saturday evening.
The north London outfit head to the Amex Stadium on the back of a 3-1 win over West Ham United on Boxing Day thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah, and that result means they are guaranteed to enter the new year top of the table regardless of what happens on the South Coast.
Three days after the Brighton fixture, Arsenal will welcome Newcastle United to the Emirates Stadium and squad rotation is going to be key with the games coming in quick succession, although Mikel Arteta won't be able to call upon Gabriel Jesus or Reiss Nelson for either match due to injury.
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"We overcome a challenge, a difficult moment", the Spaniard said when reflecting on the win against the Hammers. "On top of the injuries we had with Gabi, with Emile, with Reiss out, with Tomiyasu out, the team still believed and played to the level that they did again."
With all that considered, the Gunners manager can still name a strong line-up for the final game of the year and he could be in a position to welcome back one or two senior players that can lead to a nice team selection dilemma, especially with the clash against the Magpies looming.
As a result, football.london takes a look at the changes Arteta could make to either his starting XI or matchday squad as Arsenal face Brighton on Saturday evening.
Zinchenko starts
Oleksandr Zinchenko gave some Arsenal fans a major scare with his absence from all five friendlies before the Premier League campaign restarted. But as reported by football.london, he was always expected to be fine for the West Ham game and that turned out to be the case with him making an appearance in the second half.
When fit and available for selection following his £32m summer transfer from Manchester City, the Ukraine international has more often than not started ahead of Kieran Tierney in the Premier League, the Hammers game being an exception, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he's restored to the starting line-up at Brighton.
Although, whilst such a decision would be slightly harsh on Tierney as he is beginning to look a lot more comfortable operating as an inverted wing-back, it does highlight the strength in depth Arteta has at his disposal at left-back and that can only benefit the Gunners.
Smith Rowe returns
Prior to the West Ham game, Arteta delivered some mixed news on Emile Smith Rowe: "Emile is close. He had a setback but he’s there and he’s in a good place," the Spaniard said in his pre-match press conference. "We've done a lot of things with Emile. Sometimes he has been close, sometimes he has been in different places to see a different environment.
"His attitude has been great and this is part of any career, any development to have periods where you are out and have long-term injuries. He needs to react to that but for sure he has got all of our support and he is a huge talent that we need for the second part of the season at his best because his contribution will be key to the team."
An indicator as to if Smith Rowe will be in a position to return to the matchday squad against Brighton should come if he's involved in training whilst Arteta is likely to provide another update when he speaks to the media ahead of the game.
Saliba dilemma
Eight nights after the World Cup final and two training sessions, William Saliba was named in the Arsenal starting line-up against West Ham and didn't cover himself in glory by giving away the penalty by interrupting Jarrod Bowen's stride which led to Said Benrahma breaking the deadlock.
Perhaps the Frenchman was fortunate to avoid a booking for the tackle, as soft as it may have been, but in doing so he is still walking the disciplinary tightrope. Currently, he is the only Arsenal player in immediate danger of being handed a suspension as he has received four yellow cards thus far in the Premier League this season.
If booked against Brighton he would miss the game against Newcastle so Arteta is facing a dilemma over what to do with his central defender as he does have Rob Holding waiting in the wings whilst it remains to be seen if Takehiro Tomiyasu will be available for selection.
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