Predicted Arsenal Starting line-up without Tomiyasu Against Watford

Arsenal enjoyed back to back home wins against Brentford and Wolves in last two games. They will start the month of March with an away fixture against Watford. Both teams are playing in the Premier league only but are placed at opposite ends of the table. Arsenal are 6th in the league while Watford are 19th, having played 2 extra games than their Sunday opponents.

2nd half goal from Emile Smith-Row gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over the Sunday hosts in November. It was Mikel Arteta’s 100th game as coach for the Gunners and the solo goal handed the Arsenal boss his 54th overall win. The teams were different, and it was the home turf for the Gunners. This could be a very critical matchup considering for both the teams.

Current Form:

The Hornets have very capable coach in Roy Hudson but they are struggling with the collective plays on the field. They have the 3rd worst goal difference in the league this season with average of just around 1 goal scored and 1.80 goals conceded per game.

Arsenal on the other hand have managed strong defensive performances to cover up their scoring woes this season. The young Gunners squad have most of their players fit and available for the game, but 3 competitive games in the span of 7 days might be an energy draining affair for Watford players.

Arsenal can pounce on this opportunity and extend their impressive record (12 wins in last 15 games) with a win against Watford. But no-one can underestimate any premier league team, especially teams who have very little to lose. Watford dented Manchester United’s top 4 aspirations with a goal-less draw last weekend.

Training on the carpet 😍

✅ Mini-drills
✅ Quick passing
✅ Ruthless finishing #WATARS

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 3, 2022

2022 has been good for the Gunners so far, they won 3 games and drew 2 matches out of 8 matches played. 2 games lost were in FA Cup and EFL Cup that knocked them out of the competitions. Whereas the yellow-army has won just 1 game and lost 6 games in 10 matches played in 2022.

Arsenal Predicted Line-Up Against Watford

Interestingly, Hudson kept the same formation and team for last week. Arsenal also had the same team playing on regular basis, but the fixtures had some breathing time in between. Check the possible Arsenal line up against Watford below.

Goalkeeper:

Aaron Ramsdale (GK): An energetic and instrumental part of Arsenal defense, Ramsdale will keep his place between the posts till he is overworked. His ball distribution can be handy for fast pace counter attacking play in the match.

Defense:

Cedric (RB): There are no clear updates on the Japanese international, but behind the door activities suggests that Gunners might look to continue with Cedric at RB position. He played well last few games but still needs more improvement to cement his place in the squad.

Gabriel (CB): Brazilian is great in aerial defense but needs some tough training sessions for the ball distribution. A moment of madness can hurt Gunners, like we saw in the Wolves game. Still Gabriel is the best option available for Arteta to partner Ben White.

Ben White (CB): A new system is being installed in the Watford FC with new manager in charge. White could benefit from this, as he tends to make nice forward runs from the defense and help Arsenal in offense. It was his efforts that helped ESR to score in the last meeting, so White can be a player to focus for the home team.

Kieran Tierney (LB): With 4-3-3 opposition formation, Tierney can crowd the left wing with Martinelli. But he needs to be aware of the possible counter attacks and thus position himself according to the situation.

Midfield:

Granit Xhaka (CM): A brand new midfield pairing will be available for the Gunners compared to the last meeting. Xhaka will be back and dictate the forward game for the Arsenal.

Thomas Partey (CM): With impressive performances in last couple of games, Partey will be eager to go out on the field. His game intelligence and positioning is very handy for the defense line and makes the match bit easier for the younger players.

Bukayo Saka (RM): Saka’s goal against Watford was ruled-out due to VAR in the last meeting. He will be raring to go and look to add to his season’s goal tally.

Martin Odegaard (AM): Odegaard must have watched the Watford game against Manchester United, to find any possible alternative solution to breakdown Watford’s strong defensive work. He can make a huge impact on the game, even by scoring a goal.

Gabriel Martinelli (LM): Last meeting’s bench player has pretty much established himself in the starting line-up now. His relentless work-rate will be a worry-some factor for the yellow army.

Attack:

Alexandre Lacazette (ST): Inching closer towards the end of season, Lacazette will be looking for a strong finish. He has the perfect opportunity to do so in March as Arsenal will be playing only 4 matches and goals can be fetched easily in at least 2 of them. This is one of those fixtures for him.

Predicted Score Arsenal vs Watford:

Arsenal current run of form, resilience shown in the adverse situations and top 4 possibility could be catalytic factors in this game for the Gunners. Watford though are adjusting quickly to new tactics as they have shown in the game against the Red Devils. But extra rest for Arsenal players and heavy schedule for Watford will likely hand Arsenal 2-0 win against Watford.

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