Arsenal have the carrot of going five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, for 24 hours at least, should they take all three points from Kenilworth Road and their Tuesday night game against Luton Town.
Mikel Arteta doesn’t appear to be taking any chances with his starting XI, with the one surprise perhaps being a rare outing for Jakub Kiwior.
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? White returns
? Kiwior at the back
?? Havertz in the middleLet's do this, Gunners ? pic.twitter.com/dzxbKjxodO
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 5, 2023
Other than the Polish international’s inclusion, the rest of the XI generally picks itself.
David Raya starts in goal, with Kiwior partnered in defence by Ben White, Gabriel and William Saliba.
A midfield that has dynamism, physicality and skill is made up by Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard, with the front three of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus sure to cause the Hatters problems all night long.
Luton will be buoyed by a recent home win over Crystal Palace, their first in the Premier League, and the tight old ground won’t make for a comfortable night’s work for the visitors.
If they want the win, the Gunners are going to have to dig in and put in a shift because they’re not going to have the three points handed to them off a plate.
Arteta will surely be hoping that his team’s superior quality right across the pitch will see Arsenal triumph in the end.