With the start of the English Premier League just a few weeks away, pre-season preparations are well underway. Friendly matches are the best way to judge, how your team is shaping up before first kick-off takes place on August 13th. Arsenal will begin their pre-season when they travel to northern France to take on RC Lens in Stade Bollaert-Delelis. After finishing the match in Lens, The Gunners will travel to the US to take on the MLS All-Stars in San Jose on 28 July.
A number of first team players like Mertesacker, Walcott, Gabriel and Elneny have started their pre-season training at London Colney. However, a host of other top stars are still missing after a hectic summer involving the Euros and the Copa America. The likes of Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud, and Mesut Ozil are yet to return from their holidays and won’t be available for the match in Lens. With so many senior players missing, Wenger will be expected to call upon a few youngsters, who will get a perfect chance to impress the manager in order to get more playing time next season. Here we look at the starting XI expected to start for Arsenal on Friday.
Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez
With Cech and Ospina still on holiday after their national commitments and Szczesny recovering from an injury, Martinez will be expected to start between the sticks on Friday. The Argentine may not get much playing time next season, therefore this will be a perfect chance for him to showcase his abilities to Wenger.
Defenders: Debuchy, Mertesacker, Chambers and Monreal
With Bellerin and Koscielny missing from action right now, players like Debuchy and Chambers will look to prove a point to the manager. The French defender started his career at the Emirates brilliantly but soon faded away due to a string of injuries. After a loan spell at Bordeaux, he has returned to compete with the ever improving Bellerin for a starting birth. Mertesacker will start in the middle as the most senior defender alongside youngster Calum Chambers, again someone who will be on the fringes next season, if he doesn’t improve quickly. One of the most consistent defenders last season, Monreal will slot in at Left-back.
Midfielder: Coquelin, Elneny; Chamberlain, Iwobi and Walcott.
Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky left the Emirates this summer after their contracts expired and new signing Granit Xhaka is yet to return from his summer. Coquelin and Elneny will be expected to start in central midfield, the Egyptian has been excellent since joining the Gunners in January. Since Chamberlain and Walcott missed the European Championship, both will be eager to get playing again. The highly talented Iwobi will be expected to start in the number 10 role, the Nigerian impressed everyone with his mature performances during the final phases of last season.
Striker: Chuba Akpom
This is one position that Wenger must invest heavily in this season if his team is going to have any hopes of winning the title. Akpom had 19 starts for Hull City in the Championship last season on loan, where he netted thrice in total. If he does well, he could be an excellent cover for Giroud.