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Koscielny & Podolski START! Arsenal Starting XI To Take On Dortmund

By mac14 on November 25, 2014

Arsenal welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Emirates tomorrow night with qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League on the line. Here is the team I’d select for the game…..

Wojciech Szczesny has been ruled out with a rib injury that he suffered against Man Utd at the weekend and with David Ospina still out with a thigh problem, Emiliano Martinez will have to start in goal.

We received a major boost earlier today when it was revealed that Laurent Koscielny trained with the rest of the first team this morning and Arsene Wenger has confirmed the Frenchman is in the squad tomorrow.

Kos can’t be 100% fit as he’s only had one training session but if the club feel he’s fit enough to be on the bench, then he should be fit enough to start. A half-fit Koscielny is a better bet than a fully-fit Monreal so I’d start him with Per, Chambers and Gibbsy at the back.

Jack Wilshere looks set for a spell on the sidelines with a sprained ankle so Aaron Ramsey will partner Mikel Arteta in midfield. With Jack now out, hopefully Arsene will revert back to a 4-2-3-1 formation again as I think this brings the best out of the players we have available.

It means Alexis Sanchez can play in a free-role behind the striker – who should be Danny Welbeck after he was named in the squad despite missing training with a slight hamstring problem.

Olivier Giroud is ineligible as we didn’t register him for the group stages so we don’t have too many options if Wenger doesn’t want to risk Welbeck.

I’d also like to see Lukas Podolski given a rare start. Santi Cazorla has been in poor form this season so let’s give Poldi a chance to impress. He may not be the most hard-working player, but he certainly brings a real goal threat and would want to do well against German opposition.

Theo Walcott is still out with a minor groin problem so Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would make up my starting eleven, which would line-up like this: