Arsenal visit Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, and predictions have been made ahead of the clash.
The Gunners sit 13 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with six games remaining, so the focus now is on tightening the grip on second place.
Mikel Arteta’s team secured their progression into the last four of the Champions League on Wednesday night, beating Real Madrid comfortably at the Bernabeu.
The Spaniard is likely to rotate for the trip to East Anglia, with the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain in mind.
Arsenal won the reverse fixture 1-0 in December and will be hoping to replicate this serene performance and result on Sunday against the Tractor Boys.
Paul Merson thinks Mikel Arteta will make changes for Ipswich v Arsenal
Arteta rotated heavily against Everton before the Real Madrid first leg, and he did the same last time out against Brentford.
The Arsenal boss has seemingly decided that the Champions League takes precedence, and that he’ll merely use the league to build minutes for certain players and momentum.
Paul Merson is convinced that Arteta will once again ring the changes, but that these alterations won’t hinder the Gunners’ ability to take all three points back to North London.
Writing for Sportskeeda, the pundit said: “I always say it’s all about timing in football. Arsenal have just played that game against Real Madrid, already cemented their place in the top five and have nothing to play for in this game.
“So you would have to think this is a good time for Ipswich to be playing them, especially after they got a point off Chelsea last weekend.
“I think Arsenal should just try to get maximum points from their remaining games even if they can’t win the Premier League title anymore. If they beat Ipswich here and then win against Crystal Palace, they can go into that PSG game with some serious confidence.
“Arsenal will rest a few players for this game, but I still think they will have too much for Ipswich to handle. I’d definitely play the likes of Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri in this game. Comfortable win for the Gunners in my opinion.”
Score prediction: Ipswich 1-3 Arsenal
Chris Sutton makes Ipswich vs Arsenal prediction
The likes of Kieran Tierney, Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko could all get a look in against Ipswich, while you’d expect Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to be among the names rested.
Ipswich have won just one of their last 13 Premier League matches, meaning Arsenal should be able to get past them even with a rotated side.
Like Merson, Chris Sutton also expects changes and a Gunners victory at Portman Road.
Writing for BBC Sport, he said: “Arsenal will be on such a high after their Champions League win over Real Madrid.
I am covering this game and while Arteta will probably rest a few players and freshen things up, the Gunners will still have too much nous for Ipswich.
It probably summed up Ipswich’s season that they went 2-0 up against Chelsea last time out and could not see out the win, but they deserve credit for giving it a good go.
Ipswich were pretty stubborn when they lost 1-0 at Emirates Stadium in December and I am expecting them to show some resilience this time too, even if they end up with the same result.”
Score prediction: Ipswich 0-2 Arsenal
It’s likely Arteta will hedge his bets on any team he puts out beating Ipswich, although he may go with a full strength line-up at home to Crystal Palace in midweek.
Ipswich sit 14 points behind West Ham in 17th, and there is a scenario in which Arsenal relegate Kieran McKenna’s side this weekend.
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