Mikel Arteta has explained why Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli are not in his Arsenal starting XI against Brighton.
The Gunners have made the weekend trip to the south coast in search of a win that will strengthen their second-place standing.
Arsenal were already missing Jurrien Timber through suspension as he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Brentford.
Martinelli scored and started in the 3-1 win alongside club captain Odegaard but both have been named on the bench this time round.
Arteta spoke ahead of the match and revealed that Odegaard has been struggling with illness.
Martinelli on the other hand has also suffered a slight issue during the week, with Kai Havertz out of the squad entirely.
Odegaard had previously missed a large chunk of the season with an ankle injury but returned in their 1-1 draw at Chelsea in November.
On the other hand, Martinelli has maintained his fitness throughout the campaign but starts on the bench for a third time in the league.
Bukayo Saka remains absent from the side following his hamstring injury and could be out for as long as two months.
It was Saka’s absence that led Arteta to call upon Martinelli to shine following the club’s 5-1 win over Crystal Palace last week.
“He [Martinelli] had a big impact in the game [against Palace] and like other players, everyone is going to have to add something else because Bukayo, who we rely a lot on, is not going to be with us,” Arteta said.
“Gabi loves it. Gabi, you put him a challenge and he wants to do it today if he can. So, I think he’s a player that likes responsibility, that likes a bigger role. So, again, it’s for all of them up front to take responsibility now.”
However, Martinelli has missed the chance to build upon his goal against Brentford with a small issue of his own.
Arteta has therefore opted to name Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard in his attack against Brighton.
The former duly rewarded his manager’s faith by scoring only his second-ever Premier League goal to open the scoring at the Amex.
In doing so, Nwaneri became the first player to score more than one Premier League goal for Arsenal before his 18th birthday.
The teenager is just the sixth player to score multiple Premier League goals before turning 18 after Wayne Rooney (7), Michael Owen (5), Danny Cadamarteri (3), James Milner (3) and Federico Macheda (2).
His goal puts Arsenal on course to extend their three-game winning streak following victories over Brentford, Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.
The Gunners’ next match against the Seagulls comes five months on from their controversial first meeting of the season.
A 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium saw Declan Rice sent off for a second yellow card after delaying the restart.
Arsenal were leading at the time thanks to Kai Havertz’s goal but had to settle for a point following Joao Pedro’s equaliser.
