Arsenal head to Club Brugge on Wednesday night as they look to continue their perfect start to this season’s Champions League.
The Gunners are the only team left in the competition still to have a 100 per cent record and they are on course to finish in the top eight, which will see them progress straight to the last 16.
Mikel Arteta may opt to make changes for the game in Belgium, given Arsenal’s commanding position and their hectic schedule.
Saturday’s last-gasp defeat by Aston Villa in the Premier League concluded a gruelling run of five games in 14 days, with several Arsenal players looking exhausted at the end.
Here, Standard Sport takes a look at some of the changes Arteta could make in Brugge…
Rest Rice
If anyone in the Arsenal squad is due a rest, then it is Declan Rice. The midfielder is the only player to have featured in every game so far this season.
Rice has started 18 of Arsenal’s 22 games, coming off the bench in the other four. The 26-year-old was forced off last week in the win over Brentford because of a calf issue.
Rice was fit enough to face Aston Villa on Saturday and was able to play the full 90 minutes.
Arteta, however, will surely be tempted to rest Rice on Wednesday night given Arsenal’s strong position in the Champions League.
If Rice is left out, Eberechi Eze or Mikel Merino could replace him. Both are fresh after only playing the first half at Villa Park.
Get Gyokeres up to speed
If Merino drops into midfield, then Arteta will need to start Viktor Gyokeres up front.
Merino has started the last seven games as Arsenal’s No9 and has performed well, scoring three goals in that time.
Gyokeres is now back fit, though, and he looks like he needs minutes to get fully up to speed. The Swede, who injured his hamstring last month, has come off the bench in the last three games.
Arsenal have carefully built up Gyokeres’ minutes and he played the whole of the second half at Villa Park. The 27-year-old was understandably rusty, completing just four passes and not having a shot on goal.
Gyokeres had looked like he was finding his feet just before he was struck down with injury.
Arsenal need to get him firing again, and Wednesday night feels like the ideal moment to bring him back into the starting XI.
Hand Nwaneri a rare start
Several players will be hoping to get minutes on Wednesday if Arteta elects to ring the changes.
Chief among them is Ethan Nwaneri. The teenager, who signed a new five-year contract in the summer, has started just three games this season.
Chances have been hard to come by for Nwaneri because he is competing with Eze and Martin Odegaard for minutes on the right side of Arsenal’s midfield trio.
Eze filled in for Odegaard while he was out injured, but the Arsenal captain is now back and has started the last two games.
Nwaneri could get the nod in Brugge, though, as he was handed a start for Arsenal’s last European away game at Slavia Prague.
The midfielder’s other two starts this season came in the Carabao Cup and he recently played in a behind-closed-doors friendly to build sharpness.
