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Arsenal logo
Community Shield | Final
Aug 29, 2020 at 4.30pm UK
Wembley Stadium
Liverpool logo

Arsenal
1 - 1
Liverpool

FT
(aet)
Minamino (73')
Milner (57')
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties

How Arsenal could line up against Liverpool

Sports Mole looks at how Arsenal could line up for Saturday's Community Shield clash with Premier League champions Liverpool at Wembley.

Just 28 days after bringing the curtain down on the last domestic season in the FA Cup final, Arsenal will raise it again on Saturday in the Community Shield against Liverpool.

Mikel Arteta's side finished a whopping 43 points adrift of their opponents in the Premier League last season, but did beat Jurgen Klopp's champions towards the end of the campaign and got their hands on the FA Cup yet again.

The Gunners could now make it two trophies from their last two competitive games when they revisit Wembley less than a month on, although they go into the contest as underdogs.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Arteta could line his side up.



Possible ARS XI vs. LIV

Out: Pablo Mari (ankle), Shkodran Mustafi (hamstring), Gabriel Martinelli (knee), Calum Chambers (knee)
Doubtful: None

> Click here for Arsenal's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match

Arteta must decide which balance to strike between giving his side adequate rest ahead of what is sure to be a packed season and ensuring that they are ready for the new campaign, which begins just two weeks after this match.

Next week's international duty is an added spanner in the works for club bosses, and so it will be interesting to see which XI Arteta settles on for this match - as close to a competitive game as Arsenal will get before the new season and a chance for silverware, but by no means one of their priorities for the campaign.

The Gunners have only had one pre-season game so far but the fact that Arteta played a back three in that suggests it could be his favoured formation heading into the new term.

William Saliba, who spent last season out on loan, was among the players to start that match and he could make his competitive debut here, with David Luiz and Kieran Tierney pushing for the other two centre-back spots.

Arsenal already have injury problems in defence, though, with Calum Chambers, Pablo Mari and Shkodran Mustafi set to miss the start of the new season due to injuries carried over from the last one.

Behind them, Bernd Leno has now recovered from his injury and is likely to start despite Emiliano Martinez staking a solid claim for the number one jersey during his time deputising at the end of last season.

Hector Bellerin's future appears to be up in the air and so Cedric Soares could get the nod at right-back, while it is a similar story on the left - Ainsley Maitland-Niles started against MK Dons but has been linked with a move away and so could be replaced by Bukayo Saka.

Forgotten man Mohamed Elneny opened the scoring in the only pre-season game so far but could make way for Joe Willock in the starting XI on Sunday, while former captain Granit Xhaka is set to retain his spot.

There could be a debut for summer signing Willian on the right, while Eddie Nketiah looks set to keep his spot above Alexandre Lacazette in the pecking order having got off the mark with a goal against MK Dons.

FA Cup final hero Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang caps off the XI despite his future still being undecided, although Arteta did offer a positive update to fans in his pre-match press conference.

> Click here to see how Liverpool could line up for this match

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang poses with the FA Cup on August 1, 2020
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