Arsenal face Luton Town at the Emirates Stadium as they look to get back to winning ways after playing out a stalemate against Man City over the weekend.
On paper, this looks like the Gunners’ most friendly fixture in the run-in which includes Tottenham and Manchester United away from home, but if the reverse fixture is anything to go off then this will be a trickier fixture than many would expect.
This is how Mikel Arteta’s side can avoid an almighty embarrassment at home this midweek.
Keys for Arsenal to Beat Luton Town
Maintain Fluidity with Rotation
It is expected that Arteta will make changes from the side that drew 0-0 at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon. Although many may think that this is the perfect game to give players a rest, the Spaniard will avoid wholesale changes throughout his lineup.
There should be some changes though with Thomas Partey an option to come in for Jorginho. The Ghana international came off the bench on Sunday and showed some promising signs that he could contribute positively as the number of games starts to ramp up for the North Londoners.
Oleksandr Zinchenko or Takehiro Tomiyasu could also come into the side instead of Jakub Kiwior at left-back as both return to fitness. This abundance of options at Arteta’s disposal highlights the near-perfect timing that these players have become fit again.
These one or two changes would be helpful to freshen up the starting side but if there are too many changes it could halter the momentum of this team that is on a nine-game unbeaten run in the league in 2024.
Avoid Luton’s Attacking Threat
Going into this game Luton have scored in the most consecutive games of any other side in the Premier League. With goals in their last 18 games, they have managed to put up a gigantic fight in their battle against relegation. They also manage around 1.4 goals per game away from home with their shot conversion rate high away from Kenilworth Road at 19%.
With this sort of firepower on the road, they will almost certainly cause issues for the best defence in the league in Arsenal who cannot rest on their laurels and expect to come through this one unscathed.
Arsenal are heavy favourites for this game but Luton have given every top side a game in this league so far and the Gunners will have to avoid complacency if they want to carry their 2024 form further into April.
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