da brwin： Arsenal head into their matchday five Champions League fixture at home to Paris-Saint Germain knowing that they have already qualified for the last 16 with two games to spare.
da prosport bet： The Gunners are top of Group A on goal difference above the Ligue 1 giants, but a win on Wednesday will cement their position as group winners because of the Champions League’s head-to-head rules.
However, with a Premier League title race ongoing and English football’s hectic winter period looming in, Arsene Wenger could decide to rest a few of his stellar cast for PSG’s visit to the Emirates Stadium.
With that in mind, it’s vital he picks the ideal starting XI – one that can still compete with the French champions but give some of the fringe players the chance to impress.
Football FanCast have picked a starting XI that will meet that criteria – and still bring back the win to guarantee Arsenal a place in the prime pot for the next draw.
GK: David Ospina
The Colombian goalkeeper has played second fiddle to Petr Cech in the Premier League this term but started all of Arsenal’s Champions League group stage fixtures thus far, and that will continue against PSG on Wednesday night.
Ospina has kept two clean sheets in those four appearances and he will be looking to impress manager Arsene Wenger as he looks to keep his place between the sticks for the knockout stages of the competition next year.
LB: Kieran Gibbs
Despite finding himself behind Nacho Monreal in the pecking order for the left-back position, Gibbs has featured in Arsenal’s last three matches in the Champions League – starting two of those – and there is no reason to suggest that he won’t carry on that run against PSG.
The 27-year-old will be looking to provide Arsene Wenger with a selection headache going forward, as well as hoping to hold the position for the first knockout round.
CB: Rob Holding
Following the long-term injury suffered by Per Mertesacker earlier in the year, Arsene Wenger may not want to risk some of his more experienced first-team centre-backs such as Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi in the clash against PSG, which could give young players like Holding an opportunity.
The 20-year-old impressed in three appearances in the Premier League at the beginning of the season, and he could be given his first taste of European football on Wednesday night.
CB: Gabriel Paulista
As mentioned before, with Wenger surely not wanting to risk losing the likes of Koscielny and Mustafi to injury in what isn’t a vital match following the club’s progression to the knockout stages, Gabriel could be given the chance to impress.
The Brazilian centre-back has had to be patient when it comes to opportunities this term, but he would provide the required experience alongside Rob Holding at the heart of the Gunners’ defence against PSG.
RB: Carl Jenkinson
Carl Jenkinson has found first team minutes hard to come by this term because of the form of Hector Bellerin, but the right-back did start the previous Champions League fixture away at Ludogorets.
His place in the starting XI for the visit of the Ligue 1 giants is almost guaranteed after Bellerin was ruled out for the next few weeks with an ankle injury suffered in the north London derby against Tottenham earlier this month.
CM: Francis Coquelin
The French midfielder has started three of Arsenal’s four Champions League fixtures this season despite the arrival of fellow defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka during the summer, and he should be named in the team again at the Emirates on Wednesday.
An injury to Santi Cazorla has further cemented Coquelin’s place in the starting XI, and he will be key to providing defensive stability if Wenger does decide to heavily rotate his team for the visit of the French giants.
CM: Mohamed Elneny
If Wenger does decide to shake up his side he could look to deploy two defensive-minded players in the middle of the park to deal with the attacking threat of PSG, that could mean a start for Egypt international Elneny.
Like Coquelin, the 24-year-old has made 13 appearances for the Gunners this season and the duo played alongside each other in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
LM: Alex Iwobi
The 20-year-old was a regular in the Gunners’ first team earlier in the season after some impressive performances on the wing, and he has featured in all of Arsenal’s four Champions League ties this term.
However, the Nigeria international appears to have lost his form in recent weeks, and he was dropped to the bench for the visit to Manchester United on Saturday.
This could be the perfect opportunity for Wenger to put Iwobi back in the starting XI with a chance to impress.
CAM: Mesut Ozil
Wenger might well be thinking about resting the German for the clash against PSG, but the playmaker has been in brilliant form in the Champions League this season – scoring four goals in the last two matches against Ludogorets.
The goal threat and creative spark Ozil provides is something that the Frenchman may not want to take out of his team for Wednesday’s clash, especially considering the 28-year-old was already rested by his country during the recent international break.
RM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey and Jeff Reide-Adelaide will all be in contention to start wide in Wenger’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, but it could well be Chamberlain that gets the nod on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old has featured in all four of Arsenal’s Champions League fixtures this season – scoring in the 6-0 home win against Ludogorets – while he also assisted Olivier Giroud for his equalising goal in the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday.
ST: Olivier Giroud
Talking of the Frenchman, Giroud was given an extended break at the start of the season after featuring for France at Euro 2016, but he is in form and could start at the Emirates.
The 30-year-old has scored four goals in his last four appearances for Arsenal, including one in the 3-2 win at Ludogorets and the equaliser against Manchester United on Saturday.
With Sanchez unlikely to be risked, it will be up to Giroud to provide the main goal threat against PSG.