Arsenal and Leicester retain three-man backlines for Emirates clash

Mikel Arteta and Brendan Rodgers have kept faith in their respective clubs’ recent switches to a three-man defence for their Emirates Stadium meeting on Tuesday evening.

Arsenal have now been operating in 3-4-3 since Gameweek 31+ winning every match since then without conceding a goal.

As has been the case throughout that run, Sead Kolasinac (£5.2m) sits in the back-three, joined there by David Luiz (£5.7m) and Shkodran Mustafi (£5.1m).

That means Kieran Tierney (£5.3m) and Hector Bellerín (£5.3m) are handed wing-back roles one again, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.9m) and Bukayo Saka (£4.7m) flank Alexandre Lacazette (£9.2m) in the front-three.

As Mason Greenwood‘s (£4.6m) stock continues to rise, Eddie Nketiah (£4.4m) Fantasy credentials are still travelling in the opposite direction. After blanking in the Gameweek 33+ win over Wolves, the former Leeds loanee has been named on the bench for the second time in three matches.

Leicester’s back-three is the foundation for a slightly different shape, featuring Jamie Vardy (£9.7m) and Kelechi Iheanacho (£5.7m) at the front of a 3-4-1-2 formation.

Changing to this system played a big part in the Foxes’ 3-0 win over Crystal Palace last time out, a game in which both of their centre-forwards found the back of the net.

Ayoze Pérez (£6.1m) supports them in a number 10 role tonight with James Justin (£4.7m) and Marc Albrighton (£5.1m) acting as the left and right wing-backs respectively.

That means Ben Chilwell (£5.6m) and James Maddison (£7.4m) have not passed their fitness tests in time, while Harvey Barnes (£6.0m) is named among the substitutes for the fourth match in a row, despite his two assists against Palace.

Arsenal XI: Martínez; Kolasinac, D Luiz, Mustafi; Tierney, Xhaka, Ceballos, Bellerín; Aubameyang, Lacazette, Saka.

Leicester City XI: Schmeichel; Söyüncü, Evans, Bennett; Justin, Tielemans, Ndidi, Albrighton; Pérez; Vardy, Iheanacho.