Arsenal lineup vs. Club Brugge: Predicted XI for Champions League clash as Nwaneri, Gyokeres start

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta should not shy away from a handful of alterations when the Gunners take on Club Brugge in Wednesday's Champions League contest.

The North London giants are the only team with a perfect points total after five games thanks to their 3-1 beating of Bayern Munich on matchday five, meaning that a victory on Wednesday will almost certainly see them through to the last 16.

Arteta will definitely be missing Cristhian Mosquera (ankle), Gabriel Magalhaes (thigh) and Kai Havertz (knee) for the trip to the Jan Breydel Stadium, though, while William Saliba (knock) and Riccardo Calafiori (unspecified) are both uncertain.

Calafiori was seen limping towards the tunnel after Saturday's 2-1 Premier League defeat to Aston Villa, and even though he is about to serve a domestic suspension, he should cede his spot to Myles Lewis-Skelly on Wednesday if there are any concerns about his fitness.

Arteta's hand will be forced elsewhere in defence, however, as unless Saliba makes a miraculous return, Piero Hincapie, Ben White and Jurrien Timber will reprise their roles.

The Spaniard is blessed with options for change further forward, though, and the time is surely nigh to rest Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, allowing Christian Norgaard and Ethan Nwaneri to enjoy rare starts.

Rice and Mikel Merino will miss the matchday seven clash with Inter Milan if they are booked, but Arsenal may have already guaranteed a top-eight finish by that point, so Arteta should not factor that into his team selection.

As a result, Merino could drop into the left eight role if Martin Odegaard is rested, as starting both Nwaneri and Eberechi Eze may lead to a midfield that is too unbalanced.

Merino dropping deeper would allow Viktor Gyokeres to finally make his return to the first XI, potentially as part of a new-look front three with Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Raya; White, Timber, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Nwaneri, Norgaard, Merino; Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli