Arteta says injury-hit Arsenal must be creative against Ipswich

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must be creative in their bid to replace injured widemen Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling, as the Gunners prepare to host Ipswich Town on Friday.

Arsenal crushed Crystal Palace by a 5-1 scoreline last time out to stay within six points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, albeit having played one additional game.

However, their latest victory came at a cost as star winger Saka suffered a hamstring injury that will sideline him for “several weeks”.

Sterling, meanwhile, is also set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee issue, leaving Arteta searching for solutions.

“We have to look internally at what we have and be creative, do a very good exercise again,” Arteta said. “How can we mould the squad?

“How can we adapt to the circumstances and be different? We cannot pretend to be the same.

“We’re going to have to be different and try to find the best way to do it and be very competitive and win a lot of games.

“I am putting some ideas together. I haven’t got there yet, but I have a few. Then I want to speak with them as well, to understand how we are going to generate that and take it in a positive way. Because we are going to be different.”

Always raising the standards pic.twitter.com/adsrgAZW2V

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 24, 2024

Ipswich bolstered their survival hopes with a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Wolves on December 14, but they were then brought crashing back to earth with a 4-0 home loss to Newcastle United on Saturday.

Coach Kieran McKenna knows the Tractor Boys – who are 19th and two points adrift of safety – will be up against it at the Emirates Stadium.

“I think we need to show the right mentality, first of all, in the game,” McKenna said. “I think it’s a chance to show our togetherness, our spirit and our resilience.

“We’re going to have to show a real mental strength. Our organisation is going to have to be really, really good and we’re going to have to show bravery at different moments in the game as well to take them on in the way that we want to at different phases of the game.

“For me, it’s about the mental characteristics that we’re going to have to show in this game. That’s what we spoke about this morning and that’s what we’ll try to show on Friday night.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Gabriel Jesus

Jesus has scored five goals in his last two games for Arsenal in all competitions, as many as he had in his previous 45.

No player has scored multiple goals in three consecutive appearances for the Gunners (all competitions) in the Premier League era.

Ipswich Town – Arijanet Muric

Arsenal have scored five or more goals in seven different Premier League games in 2024 – the last team to do so in more top-flight games in a single calendar year were Burnley (nine in 1960), while the last time the Gunners did so was in 1931 (eight).

Muric, who was arguably at fault for Newcastle’s third goal in their dominant win at Portman Road on Saturday, could be a busy man at the Emirates and will need to be on top form.

Alexander Isak is the complete forward

His hat-trick in @NUFC‘s 4-0 win against Ipswich! pic.twitter.com/lcN5233HdU

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 24, 2024

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 13 league games against Ipswich (W10 D3), since a 2-1 away loss in September 1984.

Ipswich, meanwhile, are winless in their last 11 away league games against Arsenal (D4 L7), losing the last four in a row. Their last such victory was in August 1979 (2-0 under Bobby Robson).

Arsenal are understandably huge favourites for this one, having gone unbeaten in their last 41 Premier League home games against promoted sides (W36 D5), winning the last 12 in a row. Only Chelsea (43 between 2001 and 2015) have had a longer such run in the competition’s history.

The Gunners have also won their final league game in three of the last four calendar years, though the exception was a 2-1 defeat at Fulham on New Year’s Eve last year. This is the first time their final league game of a year has come at home since 2019, a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in Arteta’s first game in charge at the Emirates.

Arteta’s men are unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League home games (W8 D3) and are the only side without a home defeat so far this term (W5 D3).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 84.2%

Ipswich Town – 5.8%

Draw – 10%