Arsenal fans have taken to social media to react to Mikel Arteta's team selection for the Gunners' Premier League clash with Liverpool.
The Gunners have once again named a strong team to face the Premier League champions, however, the absence of Gabriel Magalhaes has puzzled some fans.
As expected, Bernd Leno is starting in goal but with the Brazilian dropping to the bench, he is to be shielded by a back three of Rob Holding, David Luiz and Kieran Tierney. The Scot's return has been a high point for Gunners fans ahead of the game.
In midfield, Arteta has decided to pair Granit Xhaka with Mohamed Elneny. Dani Ceballos had started the last Premier League game against West Ham but Elneny has performed impressively for the Spaniard since returning from Besiktas in the summer.
Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have taken the wing-back roles with Bellerin on the right and Maitland-Niles on the left, where Bukayo Saka last played.
The 23-year-old was pivotal in that role for Arteta in the FA Cup run last season and produced a man of the match performance from that flank in the Community Shield win.
As for the front three, Arteta has decided to keep Willian on the right, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang down the left and Alexandre Lacazette through the middle. Nicolas Pepe, Eddie Nketiah and Saka are all on the bench should they be needed.
Heading into the game, fans were most surprised about the dropping of Gabriel while the inclusion of Tierney and Elneny encouraged them.
"They are all very different games. The one we played at the Emirates and the final were very different. It will be different again. We know the standards they have set in this league, how consistent they have been. That’s because they dominate almost every aspect of the game," he said in his pre-match press conference.
"We need to be at our best, we need to compete very well against this team. Hopefully the boys are ready to do that on Monday.
"They were really different. They have some variability depending on what they do, how we have to control those aspects, as well the way we can attack in different ways as well.
"We work all the time with them without much time to breathe, it's a really quick game. Long sequences of passes don't really exist against them. We have to be at our best that's for sure.
"It’s really important to start well but it’s important what happens after 20, 30, 80, 90 minutes. It's a team that is really consistent in its performance, able to constrain the opponent to do very little against them and can dominate long periods of games.
"You have to be able, when you have the right opportunities, to be ruthless. You have to do that and as well you have to be able to suffer for periods. You know and you have to expect that they’re going to have those periods."
