Arsenal return from the international break next Monday facing an all too familiar fixture list dilemma for Unai Emery, who must balance his squad to manage three games in six days across domestic and European competition.
Sheffield United have already proven against Chelsea and Liverpool that top sides cannot afford to take them lightly and Bramall Lane will certainly not be an easy trip for Arsenal.
Emery's key dilemma after the international break will surely be how to set up his defence which has been buoyed in numerical terms by the return of Rob Holding, Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney to first team contention. Of the trio only the latter seems nailed on for a start in Sheffield, particularly in light of Sead Kolasinac's struggles at left-back.
Holding is considered available for 90 minutes in the Premier League side, Emery confirmed, but whether the Arsenal head coach opts to break up the pairing of Sokratis Papastathopoulos and David Luiz after they kept a clean sheet against Bournemouth remains a matter of some doubt. Calum Chambers has been on the receiving end of ruthless decisions at the back so far this season but for the time being it may be that seniority wins out.
Elsewhere Bellerin may need more time to fully recover from his anterior cruciate ligament rupture as Emery indicated before the international break.
"Hector Bellerin needs a little more time, more matches and more training," Emery said. "This international break is going to be important for him.
"I think he will be closer to starting for us in the next matches in the Premier League."
Arsenal will hope that Alexandre Lacazette has sufficiently recovered from his ankle injury to play some part in Sheffield; he is due to return to full training with the first-team this week. However the need to reintegrate him back into the side is not necessarily pressing with Bukayo Saka in fine form on the left flank.
Reiss Nelson is set to miss the trip to Sheffield with a knee injury that will sideline him for the remainder of October.
With Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi mainstays of the Arsenal midfield the remaining place is likely to come down to a three way battle between Lucas Torreira, Joe Willock and Dani Ceballos.
With Sheffield United's defence having proven to be tough to break down - they have conceded four fewer league goals than the Gunners this season - it may be that Ceballos' creativity is required.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Leno; Chambers, Luiz, Sokratis, Tierney; Xhaka, Guendouzi, Ceballos; Pepe, Aubameyang, Saka
