Arsenal may have found a solution to their problems up top as they welcome West Ham United to the Emirates this afternoon.
With Kai Havertz joining Gabriel Jesus in being ruled out for the rest of the season, Mikel Arteta was forced to experiment with his side last weekend against Leicester.
With Leandro Trossard failing to finding his way through in a central role and Raheem Sterling ineffective on the left, Mikel Merino was called upon in another roll of the dice.
This time, it worked. With Trossard pushed wide and Merino operating as a makeshift centre forward, the Spaniard bagged two goals that ensured Arsenal remained in the Premier League title race for another week.
The Gunners boss will surely opt for that set-up from the start on Saturday afternoon with Ethan Nwaneri putting in a thrilling performance on the right of that attack.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are still recovering from hamstring injuries and are not expected to return to mid-March, meaning Arteta’s new-look attack will likely remain in place for a few more weeks.
While his attacking options are severely depleted, Arteta has a near-fully fit squad elsewhere with Ben White returning to the squad last week.
‘He is ready to play,’ Arteta told a press conference on Friday when asked about White’s fitness.
‘Whether to start or not is a decision we will make tomorrow, but he’s certainly available now to be a part of the group.
Takehiro Tomiyasu remains unavailable however having managed just six minutes of football this season.
And the Japanese international has now confirmed that he has undergone surgery on his affected knee which will likely rule him out for the rest of the season.
Arsenal trail Liverpool by eight points but after the Reds dropped points against Aston Villa in midweek, Arteta’s side can now cut that gap to just five ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday.
Should things go their way and Liverpool suffer defeat on the road in two tough fixtures, Arsenal could end the weekend four points behind the league leaders with a game in hand.
Predicted Arsenal team to face Leicester
Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Partey, Rice, Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard
Where to watch Arsenal vs West Ham? Kick-off time and TV channel
Arsenal vs West Ham kicks off at 3pm on Saturday 22 February.
Given it’s kick-off time, the match will not be broadcast live in the UK today due to the blackout rule.
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