Arsenal predicted line-up vs. Brentford: key change made with Saka and Martinelli among doubts

Arsenal will be hunting for an eight consecutive Premier League victory when they face cross-capital rivals Brentford in Saturday’s late kick-off – and we’ve got all the latest team news plus a predicted line-up as the Gunners continue their title charge.

Mikel Arteta’s side have scored a remarkable 24 goals in their six league outings since the start of February but they have some major fitness concerns up front heading into the game against Brentford, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both doubts for the match.

Defenders Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu may also miss out, and we’ve got the latest updates from the manager on their conditions below – and if you’re after some information for your Fantasy Premier League team, you can read our high-flying manager’s regular advice column by clicking here.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Full-backs Zinchenko and Tomiyasu are the big doubts ahead of Saturday’s game with calf injuries. Arteta has described Japan international Tomiyasu as “very close” to a return, but Zinchenko seems unlikely to play having missed the last four league matches after picking up an injury in the 3-1 win over Liverpool. Arteta simply said that “it’s possible but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Goalkeeper David Raya will certainly miss out as he is ineligible to face his parent club – Arteta has confirmed that Aaron Ramsdale will get a rare start in his stead barring any late problems. The other player who is certain to be unavailable is summer signing Jurriën Timber, who continues his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury and is unlikely to feature again this season.

Midfield

Arteta provided an optimistic update on the condition of Saka and Martinelli during his pre-match press conference, saying that they had “little issues, but we are pretty positive that hopefully they can be a part of [the squad], but we’ll have to wait and see how they are tomorrow.”

Saka has been suffering from an unspecified illness and came off at half-time during the 6-0 thrashing of Sheffield United last weekend, while Brazilian winger Martinelli sustained a gashed leg in the second half at Bramall Lane. It looks likely that both will play at least some part at the Emirates, however. The rest of the midfield is believed to be in good shape.

Forwards

There are no new injury worries up front, with Gabriel Jesus expected to be available to start if required. The striker had missed four league matches in a row with a persistent knee problem but came on for Martinelli against the Blades and appeared to come through a half-hour workout without any concerns.

Jesus may still not play the full 90 minutes as it has been reported that Arsenal are looking to manage his workload to avoid flare-ups, but in any case Arteta may prefer to continue with Kai Havertz in the number nine slot – the German has impressed up front in recent matches, scoring against both Newcastle United and Sheffield United.

Arsenal predicted line-up vs. Brentford

Ramsdale; Kiwior, Gabriel, Saliba, White; Rice, Jorginho, Ødegaard; Martinelli, Saka, Havertz.