Arsenal: Predicted XI to face Fulham in Premier League opener

Mikel Arteta is about to get his first full season as a manager underway as Arsenal begin their 2020/21 Premier League campaign with a fixture against newly-promoted Fulham this lunchtime.

Despite the achievement of winning the FA Cup last campaign, the north London side still finished eighth, their worst placing in the division for 25 years.

It is the Premier League opener, and all eyes will be on Craven Cottage to see how the Gunners get on, with the game giving them a chance to state their intent that they want to be battling for the top four this season. Here is the TT predicted XI to face Fulham, which sees Arteta make three changes from the side that started the Community Shield triumph over Liverpool.

One of the biggest selection dilemmas the manager has is in the goalkeeper position. Whilst Bernd Leno was recovering from injury, Emiliano Martinez came in to cover for him and performed commendably as he kept three clean sheets whilst conceding just nine goals and also made 38 saves in those matches.

These performances have given Martinez the confidence that he can be the number one goalkeeper and he will not want to settle for a position on the bench. However, with the north London side looking like they will reluctantly let him leave in this transfer window, it looks like Arteta has made up his mind and he will give the German the nod for the first game of the season.

Another change looks to be one outside of the Spaniard’s control, as David Luiz reportedly has a neck injury which will see him miss the fixture. Despite Arsenal recently signing Gabriel Magalhaes, it feels like this first game will come too soon for the new signing. However, this might give young William Saliba a chance to make his Premier League debut.

The Frenchman was out on loan at Saint-Etienne this season and it looks like he will be involved with the senior squad this campaign, and this will be a big opportunity for the player to make a name for himself.

Meanwhile, the Gunners received a huge boost as midfielder Dani Ceballos, who is valued at £28.8m, has rejoined the club on loan for the 2020/21 season. This is a boost for Arsenal following on from his performances towards the end of last season and it would not be a shock for him to come straight back into the side to replace Mohamed Elneny, who played in the Community Shield victory over Liverpool.

Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will likely take up his normal position on the left, whilst PFA Young Player of the Year nominee Bukayo Saka should play on the right just as he did at Wembley.

The big decision for the manager is at centre-forward, where he favoured Eddie Nketiah over Alexandre Lacazette against Liverpool. That seems to suggest that he fancies the young Englishman and it looks like he will be leading the line for today’s clash.

Gunners fans, what are your thoughts on this team? Let us know your views in the comments below!