Arsenal return to the Champions League tonight after a six-year absence as they will welcome PSV Eindhoven to the Emirates Stadium, but a few questions remain over the team selection.
With a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur coming up on Sunday, Mikel Arteta may be tempted to rotate his pack, but he will be wary about the threat PSV poses.
Having three games in a week may mean some players need a rest, and Oleksandr Zinchenko could be a candidate for rotation to keep him fresh for Sunday.
One of PSV’s biggest attacking threats comes in the form of winger Johan Bakayoko, and Arteta could throw Takehiro Tomiyasu into the lineup for Zinchenko to counter this threat.
Bakayoko was linked with a number of Premier League sides over the summer window, and could cause Arsenal problems with his pace going forward. With this in mind, Tomiyasu should come in from the start at left-back.
Tomiyasu needs to start against PSV
The Japan international, whom Ben White has described as “world-class,” has been impressive in some of his displays for club and country this season, and deserves a chance to earn his starting spot back.
His versatility means that he can play anywhere across the back line, and his cameo appearance against Manchester United before the international break showed that he can replicate Zinchenko’s role as an inverted left-back.
The 24-year-old is strong in 1v1 situations, making him well-equipped to deal with the threat of Bakayoko, whilst his ability in the air will add extra protection from set-pieces.
PSV will be no pushovers for Arsenal, and it will be important to get the campaign started with a victory on home turf.
Given that Zinchenko has a poor injury record, and is one of Arsenal’s most important players, resting the Ukrainian for Sunday’s derby could be the ideal move.
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