For tomorrow’s Carabao Cup match against Brentford, Mikel Arteta will change his lineup, but he would be prudent to start Kai Havertz.
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The German international has had a challenging start to life at Arsenal after moving there from Chelsea in the summer.
Havertz has played for the Gunners eight times but has yet to score or provide an assist. The 24-year-old is in need of a confidence boost more than anybody else, so the opportunity to make an impact against a Brentford team that has been rotated is alluring.
Havertz’s acclimatisation to his new teammates will take some time, and Arteta has urged patience.
There have been a few signs of hope, most notably last week when Havertz received some playing time up front against PSV Eindhoven.
Given that Gabriel Jesus was just substituted with 13 minutes remaining in the north London derby on Sunday, Eddie Nketiah could start there on Monday.
Given his height and primary role as a No. 8 in midfield, Havertz can also play as a striker, according to Arteta.
When facing a good Premier League squad, Brentford frequently switches to a back-three, so Havertz’s size will be helpful.
For the third-round match tomorrow, Arsenal is anticipated to make a number of adjustments. Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson are vying for the starting attack position so Bukayo Saka may rest.
Declan Rice had a back injury during the north London derby on Sunday. It is not a catastrophic injury, but he won’t play at Brentford. In addition to Fabio Vieira, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are also vying for playing time.
Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior are both anticipated to start on defence. Aaron Ramsdale intends to make a comeback in net.
