Mikel Arteta must decide how much he can afford to rotate when Arsenal host Fulham on Saturday evening.
It is a crucial match in the Premier League title race, with Arsenal having the chance to go six points clear of Manchester City, who don’t go to Everton until Monday night, but it comes in the middle of the two legs of their Champions League semi-final tie against Atletico Madrid.
Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze both started on the bench for the first leg on Wednesday night and should come into the starting lineup this weekend.
Saka has not started a match since the Carabao Cup final in March but after two cameos as a substitute, Arsenal now need him to find his best form again.
Martin Odegaard came off early in the second half against Atletico having had some treatment on the touchline before half-time.
Arsenal will desperately hope that is not another injury concern.
There are likely to be changes at full-back, with Riccardo Calafiori offering fresh legs and a chance to rest Piero Hincapie.
Arteta has consistently stuck with Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi in midfield.
Myles Lewis-Skelly came off the bench to get some minutes in midfield against Newcastle, but it feels unlikely that Arteta will trust him from the start here.
Kai Havertz is a major doubt with the muscle injury that kept him out of the Atletico clash.
There is also uncertainty over the fitness of Jurrien Timber, who is yet to return to full first-team training following an ankle injury that has seen him miss the last nine games across all competitions.
Arteta will provide a full team news update at his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Zubimendi; Saka, Odegaard, Eze; Gyokeres
Time and date: 5.30pm BST on Saturday May 2, 2026
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Source: This article was originally published by Evening Standard
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