Summary Arsenal's away form needs improvement after only gaining one point from their last two Premier League away matches. David Raya, the first-choice goalkeeper, is ineligible to play against Brentford due to his loan deal from the club. Leandro Trossard has been in impressive form and should be considered for the starting lineup over Gabriel Jesus due to his clinical finishing.
Arsenal are back in action this afternoon following the international break, as Mikel Arteta’s side travel to west London to face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The Gunners will hope to get their away form back on track after picking up just one point from their previous two trips away from home in the Premier League, with the Bees expected to be far from easy to overcome.
Following the two week pause in play for the international festivities, Arteta’s side is anticipated to look far different from the team that beat Burnley 3-1 at the Emirates last time out, with a number of faces set to re-enter the fold.
Arsenal team news vs Brentford
Away from injury, first choice shot-stopper David Raya will be unavailable for the fixture due to being ineligible to play against his parent club, as his deal at Arsenal is still a loan from Brentford.
Reports have surfaced to unsurprisingly relay that the Gunners wish to activate a permanent contract for the Spaniard, meaning more bad news for Aaron Ramsdale, who will get a rare chance between the posts this afternoon.
Against the Clarets, Martin Odegaard, Ben White and Gabriel Jesus were unavailable due to injury and illness.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta admitted that White and Odegaard will “hopefully” return to the fold against Brentford, but couldn't confirm the status of the two players for certain.
The talk of the international break was the emergence of Jesus, who had missed Arsenal’s previous five fixtures due to injury, however was called up to represent Brazil and played 90 minutes for his country whilst on duty.
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Despite returning after recording some impressive performances prior to his injury, there is some debate as to whether the four-time Premier League winner should automatically reclaim his number nine spot, as his replacement has been in terrific form in his absence.
The stats that suggest Leandro Trossard should keep his place in the XI
Predominantly fielded as a left-winger, Leandro Trossard has been Arteta’s guiding light when leading the line this season, recording a higher conversion rate than both Jesus and Eddie Nketiah when playing centrally, as per Sofascore.
Lauded for his “lively” presence in the final third by Arteta, Jesus’ energy and positivity has been missed, although the Belgian has provided a more clinical streak than the Brazilian, who admitted that scoring goals is not his “strong point” while on international duty.
Once dubbed “absolutely clinical” by journalist Phil Costa, the Belgium international has contributed to three goals in his previous two appearances for Arsenal, scoring two and assisting once, playing central on both occasions.
Trossard’s emergence as the Gunners’ most prolific striker must be celebrated, with the chance for Arteta to raise the level of performance of both Jesus and Nketiah to reach the form of the former Brighton whiz, who has made a stellar impact since arriving in January.
In Brentford, Arsenal face a task of keeping near to the top of the table while trying to overcome the Bees, who have won three of their previous five in the league.
Fielding Trossard over Jesus would benefit the north Londoners with reference to the challenge ahead, with the need to take their chances pivotal in a game that will be highly contested.