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[Image] Ozil out, Mustafi starts | How Arsenal should line-up against Burnley

By on May 11, 2019

matteo guendouzi

Arsenal end the 2018/19 Premier League season with a trip to Burnley on Sunday afternoon. This is the line-up I’d like Unai Emery to select…

Goalkeeper: Leno

Petr Cech once again kept goal in the Europa League semi-final on Thursday night but Bernd Leno should be recalled tomorrow. I’d personally start him in the final but we know Emery will stick with Cech.

Defence: Mustafi, Sokratis, Monreal

Laurent Koscielny should be rested as he’s still hampered by his Achilles and the last thing we want is him to aggravate the issue against Burnley. Unfortunately that means having to recall Shkodran Mustafi but we’ve already blown our hopes of finishing in the top four, so how much more damage can he do?

Sokratis should keep his place in defence while I hope Nacho Monreal continues on the left side of the back three as he looks more comfortable there than at left-back these days.

Midfield: Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Kolasinac

Ainsley Maitland-Niles had a bit of a nightmare opening 25 minutes against Valencia but he improved as the game went on and he’s still our best option in the right wing-back position with Hector Bellerin still on the sidelines.

pierre-emerick aubameyang arsenal

Sead Kolasinac should also continue on the left as we don’t exactly have too many other options while Granit Xhaka will continue in midfield. The Swiss international’s stupidity against Brighton last week cost us two points and possibly the top four. I think we need a major upgrade this summer but for now we’ll have to stick with him.

I think Lucas Torreira has looked a little jaded recently, well for much of the second half of the season actually, so he could probably do with a breather. Matteo Guendouzi could come in alongside Xhaka as Mohamed Elneny brings nothing to the team.

Attack: Mkhitaryan, Iwobi, Aubameyang

Ideally we’d completely rest Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette and wrap them in cotton wool ahead of the Europa League final as we have no chance of beating Chelsea without them.

However, we still need to finish fifth in the league and Aubameyang is gunning for the Golden Boot so it wouldn’t be right to deny him that opportunity. I’d start the Gabon hitman, rest Lacazette and pray Aubameyang doesn’t pick up a knock.

Burnley away isn’t a game for Mesut Ozil as he’s sure to drop a 1/10 performance if he started at Turf Moor so I’d drop him to the bench meaning Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan can be recalled in attack.

This is the starting eleven I hope we’ll see:football formations