£48m Arsenal star could start as striker vs Port Vale with Gyokeres & Merino rested
Arsenal shared the spoils against Manchester City in a 1-1 Premier League draw on Sunday.
The Gunners will now turn attention to the Carabao Cup third round tie against Port Vale on the road.
The club face the League One outfit at Vale Park tomorrow, and there could be many changes in the line-up.
This could start from the centre-forward position. Viktor Gyokeres could be given a breather on the bench.
The Sweden international has been ever-present upfront after Kai Havertz’s knee injury and may not start the game.
Mikel Merino had a dismal outing in midfield against Man City and may not feature as a makeshift striker.
Instead, manager Mikel Arteta could experiment with Gabriel Martinelli as a number nine after his recent goalscoring heroics.
Martinelli came off the bench in the 71st minute against Athletic Bilbao on the road in the Champions League last week.
He made an instant impact, scoring after just 36 seconds.
Leandro Trossard played a lovely through ball down the middle for Martinelli, who got behind the defence to open the scoring.
Martinelli replicated the feat against the Cityzens. He got on the right end of a superb long ball from Eberechi Eze from his own half.
The £48 million-rated attacker still had plenty of work to do.
He produced a fantastic lob beyond goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to find the back of an empty net to equalise in stoppage time.
As many Arsenal fans often say, Martinelli has the perfect profile for a centre-forward. He started his Gunners career in the position.
The 24-year-old has the pace and dribbling skills to get behind defences. His finishing has been a cause for concern over the years.
Prior to this season, Martinelli has scored nine goals from just 16 appearances, starting as a number nine for the Gunners.
Arteta won’t get a better chance to field Martinelli upfront than tomorrow. Another goalscoring return would further boost his confidence.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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