In the final gameweek of the Champions League, Arsenal travel to Girona to confirm their place in the top eight of the league phase.
The Gunners' perfect recent form in Europe has seen them all but through to the round of 16, with a win possibly placing them as high as second, depending on Barcelona's result.
They have won their last three Champions League games, with their last fixture being a comfortable 3-0 win against Dinamo Zagreb, with Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard all having grabbed a goal a piece.
Mikel Arteta's team backed it up with a controversial 1-0 win over Wolves in the Premier League, as 18-year-old Myles Lewis Skelly was sent off by Michael Oliver in questionable fashion.
Girona are in the opposite position as their opponents in Europe, with Tozudos only one of their seven fixtures in their debut Champions League season, that being a 2-0 home win against Slovan Bratislava.
They are unable to get into the top 24, meaning their hopes of qualifying to the next round have been extinguished.
-
Chance for Arteta to rotate
It has been a very busy January for the Gunners, with this being their ninth game in four competitions this month, with many players having played in most of these games.
With this being a game that means less with the Gunners position in the league, Arteta could take a chance to rotate his squad and rest some key players ahead of their big Premier League clash on the weekend against Manchester City.
An example of this could be resting Havertz, who at the end of the Wolves game was seen on the floor exhausted from the amount he has played.
Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhaes and Rice have also been used a lot in this period, and maybe other players who Arteta has an eye on rotating.
Players who could come in include Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Jorginho. Raheem Sterling and even Kieran Tierney will all be in with a shout of featuring against Girona.
-
Choices at left-back
It was a contridicting weekend for Arsenal's two main left-backs, with Lewis-Skelly, who had made that position his in recent weeks, being sent off.
His replacement, Riccardo Calafiori, went on to score the winner whilst having a fine performance back in the team, now leaving Arteta with a decision on who to go with for the game against Girona.
Now that Lewis-Skelly is suspended for the next three Premier League games (depending on whether Arsenal appeal against the decision) Calafiori could have a run in the team, with this possibly starting on Wednesday.
Although with the Italian's injury problems being a big concern since joining the Gunners from Bologna in the summer, Arteta may stick with Lewis-Skelly for this game, with Calafiori being saved for the game on the weekend.
Kiwior, Zinchenko and Tierney are all other options that Arteta will consider for that starting spot.
-
Declan Rice coming to best form in possible long-term position
Not many players who have cost in excess of £100 million have been looked upon as bargains, but one which could fit that criteria is Rice.'
The English midfielder has played a mix of the six and the eight roles this season, with him starting to find himself more in the left eight role with Mikel Merino not finding his feet so far in North London, and Thomas Partey and Jorginho working well in the holding midfield position.
Added to this, with the possible arrival of Martin Zubimendi in the summer, Rice's long-term position will most likely be higher up in midfield, somewhere he has played multiple times this season, and has excelled.
He has a very strong overall game, with his defensive talents coming in useful when in the holding role, along with his ball carries and tireless work-rate which compliments the attacking role he now plays in.
He also finds himself in some really good goalscoring positions, almost a throwback to Granit Xhaka in his final season for the Gunners, but with only three goals in all competitions this season, upping that tally could be the next improvement for the Arsenal midfielder, which could push him to become one of the best midfielders in the world.
