Following a couple weeks of rotating out Alexis Sanchez, whether it was for stylistic reasons or to make sure he didn't get overworked, Arsene Wenger seems to have reintroduced his star to the first team. The Chilean gets a start against Chelsea, and his team will need him to be at his best to get points at Stamford Bridge.
Alexis Sanchez starts for Arsenal while Chelsea line up as expected
Maybe Arsene Wenger has figured out that he should start his best player.
Paul Gilham
Despite concerns about his ankle, Jack Wilshere starts as expected, following a brief cameo in Champions League midweek. He'll be partnered by Mathieu Flamini, meaning the Santi Cazorla at central midfield experiment can come to an end. He'll play on the left wing in this match.
Chelsea have not made any surprising selections, and opt for directness over trickiness or possession on the right wing. Andre Schürrle gets the nod after a couple of promising performances in cup and Champions League action. He could have had a hat trick against both Bolton and Sporting Lisbon, but has been very unlucky in front of goal. If he can start shooting accurately, Jose Mourinho’s going to have an easy day.
Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic; Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas; Eden Hazard, Oscar, Andre Schürrle; Diego Costa
Arsenal starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Wojciech Szczesny; Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Calum Chambers; Mathieu Flamini, Jack Wilshere; Santi Cazorla, Mesut Özil, Alexis Sanchez; Danny Welbeck
Kickoff is at 2 p.m. local, 9 a.m. ET. You can catch the game on NBC Sports Network in the USA, Sky Sports 1 in the UK and Sportsnet regional networks in Canada.
See More:
