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Arsenal team news: Predicted 3-4-1-2 line up to face Burnley – Emery faces rotation choice
ARSENAL manager Unai Emery will have to manage his players carefully against Burnley this afternoon with one eye on the Europa League final.
The Gunners have endured a frustrating Premier League campaign and cannot realistically finish higher than fifth after last weekend’s disappointing draw with Brighton.
Fourth place is still mathematically achievable, although they would have to beat Burnley while Tottenham lose to Everton with an eight-goal swing.
However, Emery’s men are into the final of the Europa League where they will play Chelsea in Baku, Azerbaijan at the end of the month.
While the Arsenal players are sure to be focusing on the European fixture, they still need to better Manchester United’s result in order to avoid slipping down to sixth.
Such a scenario could have a significant impact on next season, with defeat to Chelsea and victory for Watford in the FA Cup final meaning the Gunners would start their 2019/20 campaign in early July.
With this in mind, Emery needs to strike a balance between resting his key players and ensuring his side get a positive result against Burnley.
Bernd Leno will play his final game of the season in goal before making way for the retiring Petr Cech in the Europa League final.
Laurent Koscielny is likely to be given the afternoon off with Shkodran Mustafi lining up alongside Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Nacho Monreal.
Meanwhile, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is available after suspension and should feature a right wing-back while Sead Kolasinac will line up on the opposite flank.
However, Lucas Torreira could make way for Matteo Guendouzi in central midfield while Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alex Iwobi and Mesut Ozil are all in contention to start.
Emery’s decision to field one or two strikers will also have a huge impact on team selection, with one Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette potentially dropping out.
Rob Holding, Danny Welbeck, Hector Bellerin and Aaron Ramsey are all injured and not expected to play again this season.
Arsenal predicted line-up vs Burnley – Premier League
(3-4-1-2): Leno; Mustafi, Sokratis, Monreal; Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ozil; Aubameyang, Lacazette