Arsenal face arguably their biggest test of the campaign to date when Manchester City arrive at the Emirates Stadium tonight for what promises to be a Premier League tie that could have major say in where the title ends up in May.
The Gunners have secured just one point from their previous two matches and is this just a mere blip for Mikel Arteta and his men? Or is the pressure finally getting to them?
Plenty of questions will be answered tonight, but the Spaniard must make changes from the draw against Brentford in order to re-energise his side. Gabriel Martinelli has struggled for form and against Brentford in their latest outing, he failed to complete a single dribble or deliver an accurate cross.
This could pave the way for Leandro Trossard to start against the defending champions this evening, especially considering his impact from the bench at the weekend.
Will Leandro Trossard start against Manchester City?
Since joining the north London side in January, the Belgian has impressed in his brief substitute appearances, none more so than against the Bees, where he received a Sofascore rating of 7.5/10 for his 28-minute cameo which included scoring the opener, succeeding with two of his three dribble attempts, making one key pass and registering a 90% pass success rate.
The 28-year-old has proved how impactful he can be coming off the bench, but Arteta should unleash him from the start tonight and his impressive form for Brighton and Hove Albion in the first half of the season should quell any fears the manager has.
The £40k-per-week gem scored seven goals and racked up another three assists while he led the Brighton squad for shots per game (2.4) and goals while ranking third for key passes (1.4) and successful dribbles (0.9) per match, it’s no wonder Arteta swooped for the player last month.
BBC football writer Phil McNulty once heralded Trossard as a “game-changer” while ex-United defender Rio Ferdinand also sang his praises late last year, dubbing the player as “unreal” and there is no doubt he can shine against a City side who haven’t quite looked themselves this season, already losing four matches in the league – more than they managed on their way to the title last season.
Arteta has a big call to make tonight regarding whether or not to start Trossard.
However, judging by his recent displays and his Premier League experience, the Belgian could certainly throw a spanner in the works and terrorise the City defence while hopefully adding to his two goals already scored against them during his career.