Mikel Arteta hints 'very different' Arsenal player will start against Crystal Palace

Mikel Arteta has dropped a big hint over one of his potential starters for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup clash with Crystal Palace. The Gunners return to action at the Emirates Stadium with a semi-final final spot on the line in their final game before Christmas.

Arsenal have won back-to-back games in the Premier League, most recently defeating Everton, and they will want to tick off this game to make sure they remain alive in all competitions heading into the new year.

Palace are tricky opponents, but with the Eagles having lost two on the bounce, including a loss to Leeds United over the weekend, this may be a good time for Arsenal to welcome them to North London.

Changes may be likely within reason, with Arteta needing to manage his squad carefully ahead of a busy festive period, and it looks as though Gabriel Jesus could be in for a start, with the striker yet to start after his almost year-long ACL injury.

“Yes, he is (ready to start),” Arteta said ahead of the Palace clash. “You can see now, not only in games but every day in training, how much he wants it. He’s going to deserve a chance soon.

“I watched him when he was seven months [off] the pitch, and the way he was moving and how much he wanted it. I think he wrote a beautiful letter [on The Players’ Tribune] explaining what football means to him and how it affects his life. It was something beautiful.

“I think that’s probably the biggest quality of Gabi: bringing people together, connecting with people and generating a lot of uncertainty in the opponent. When you’ve seen [against Everton] the amount of spaces that he was involved in, that’s his biggest quality – so we need to exploit that.

“It’s been a really intense journey, I would say. I think when he joined us, he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the club and the team. I think he gave something very different to what we already had and it was really impressive. And then he had some very bad injuries that haven’t allowed him to have the consistency that we need from a very important player.

"But he’s back. I think his fighting spirit, his desire to always prepare the best way… it’s unbelievable. The team has got it now and we need to use it.”

Jesus will offer important competition for the Gunners, with Viktor Gyokeres the only other fit out-and-out striker currently due to Kai Havertz remaining out. Competition is what Arteta wanted within his squad this season, and it will be interesting to see how Arsenal look when the Spaniard has three fit strikers, should that happen.

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