Gabriel Magalhaes is benched for Arsenal in their season-opening fixture against Nottingham Forest this Saturday lunchtime.
The Brazilian centre-half had been the subject of a team news rumour on social media on Friday evening.
And although he’s part of the Gunners’ matchday squad at the Emirates, he’s only among the substitutes.
Football London reporter Kaya Kaynak suggests that the defender’s omission is “tactical”.
Mikel Arteta has brought Eddie Nketiah in for Gabriel but otherwise has named an unchanged Arsenal team from last Sunday’s FA Community Shield line-up.
That one change will prompt a tactical reshuffle.
Nketiah will lead the line for the hosts, so Kai Havertz – having spearheaded the attack against Manchester City at Wembley – will drop back into midfield.
Thomas Partey looks like he has been redeployed at right-back, with Ben White partnering William Saliba at centre-half.
Leandro Trossard has to settle for a place among the substitutes.
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper goes with the same outfielders that drew with Eintracht Frankfurt in their final pre-season friendly.
But there’s a change between the posts, with £4.0m FPL goalkeeper Matt Turner coming in for George “not Jonjo” Shelvey.
Regular starters from last season, Taiwo Awoniyi and Moussa Niakhate, are on the bench after recovering from injury.
Arsenal won this fixture 5-0 last season, although Forest were victorious in the City Ground rematch in May.
- READ MORE: FPL notes: De Bruyne + Stones injury latest
GAMEWEEK 1 LINE-UPS
Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; Partey, White, Saliba, Timber; Rice, Ødegaard, Havertz; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
Subs: Hein, Gabriel, Smith-Rowe, Kiwior, Tomiyasu, Trossard, Jorginho, Vieira, Nelson
Nottingham Forest XI: Turner; Worrall, Boly, McKenna; Aurier, Yates, Danilo, Mangala, Aina; Gibbs-White, Johnson
Subs: Hovarth, Williams, Kouyate, Awoniyi, Wood, Niakhate, Elanga, Freuler, O’Brien
SIGN UP HERE FOR ALL THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO WIN AT FPL!
