The Gunners are set to travel to Old Trafford with a similar squad that beat QPR last weekend as no players have returned to fitness, with Gervinho set for a spell on the sidelines after his latest setback .
Gervinho has been ruled out for three weeks with his ankle injury which is a blow for the Ivorian, while the likes of Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs and Abou Diaby are still not fit. This will mean Wenger will once again draft in some youngsters in Gnabry and rely on Santos at left back for the blockbuster clash against Manchester United.
Arsene Wenger revealed the following team news:
[on Gervinho] Gervinho is out for three weeks, we think.
[on other team news] We have no comebacks, no Wojciech, no Gibbs, no Diaby of course as well. Basically the squad should be approximately the squad we had last week. We have no injuries as well from Tuesday night.
The biggest blow would have to be Gibbs who was anticipated to be back for this weekend. So Santos will take up his role on the left which is always a worry. Wenger has asked for his defence to tighten up and I can not see that happening until Gibbs makes his full return. Santos played well at QPR but will always be a liability and he is often rash in his decision making. He could be set for a tough match against the likes of Valencia and fellow Brazilian Rafael.
There is still no news on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but he too was expected to travel so in his case no news is good news. Theo Walcott will make the squad too after his positive outing against Reading so Wenger will have options out wide rather than Aaron Ramsey who just isn’t a natural wing player. Jack Wilshere will be set to start once again, so on paper Arsenal’s first XI is looking strong.
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Do you think we can pip Van Persie’s new side at home this weekend? They have looked strong this season and have a knack for grinding out results with below par performances. Often the Gunners dominate possession but United manage to score on counter attacks (despite the 8-2 loss last season..but that was a one-off). The defence will need to be tight, and with the return of Bacary Sagna last weekend we could have a real shot at knocking the current 2nd place side down the table.
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