Kane Williamson has officially been confirmed as New Zealand’s captain in all three formats, and later this year is set to become the 29th man to lead the country in Test cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2016Kane Williamson has officially been confirmed as New Zealand’s captain in all three formats, and later this year is set to become the 29th man to lead the country in Test cricket.Williamson was in charge at the World Twenty20 in India earlier this year and has led New Zealand in 36 matches across ODI and T20 cricket. His appointment as Test captain was a mere formality after the retirement of Brendon McCullum in February, and at a press conference in Auckland on Thursday it was confirmed that he would lead New Zealand in all three forms.”Kane has been a leader within the team for a long time now and already shown himself to be an extremely capable captain,” David White, the New Zealand Cricket CEO, said. “He’s respected by his peers and the wider cricket community for his professional approach both on and off the field, and has a superb cricket brain.”His drive to see the team succeed and his passion for the game are what you look for in a leader. He’s ready for the role and will only continue to grow.”New Zealand’s next international tour is to Africa in July-August, when they are set to play Tests in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. At 25, Williamson is expected to become the third-youngest man to captain New Zealand in Test cricket, behind Stephen Fleming and John Parker.”It’s certainly an honour. I’ve really enjoyed my time spent as captain and believe this team can achieve a lot,” Williamson, who is currently in India for the IPL, said. “I’m lucky to have a number of experienced players around me for support and will certainly look to utilise this. We’re all striving for the same thing and that’s to represent New Zealand with pride and win cricket games.””I’ve certainly learnt a lot from Brendon, as has everyone who has played with him. The culture that he and Mike [Hesson, the coach] have cultivated has been a huge part of this team’s success in recent times. We not only have good players, but good people too and that certainly makes any captain’s job easier.”

Leeds United's 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday evening proved a miserable return to north London for former Gunners youth product, Luke Ayling, with the experienced defender having been something of a liability for Javi Gracia's side at right-back.

The 31-year-old – who failed to make an appearance for the Emirates outfit after rising up through the club's youth ranks – notably gave away what could be considered a soft penalty to allow Gabriel Jesus to fire the hosts ahead, before also being beaten by Gabriel Martinelli as Mikel Arteta's men powered home a second through Ben White just after the break.

As Leeds Live's Beren Cross noted, the Brazilian winger had Ayling 'on toast all afternoon', with the latter man having undoubtedly "struggled" to shackle the dynamic and relentless youngster, as per journalist Joe Donnohue.

Those woes were also reflected by the fact that the Whites' stand-in skipper won just four of his 11 duels and lost possession on 11 occasions, while also being dribbled past five times as a marker of his defensive shortcomings.

Such a grim performance saw the Lamberth-born dud record a match rating of just 5.6, as per Sofascore, with that the joint-lowest of any player for either side, alongside teammate Illan Meslier.

With the Yorkshire outfit back in Premier League action against fellow relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest this evening, Gracia must surely be considering whether to ditch Ayling for the visit of Steve Cooper's men, particularly with the Englishman having also previously underwhelmed against the Garibaldi earlier this season.

Will Ayling start against Forest?

Ahead of what will be a potentially crucial clash with Forest at Elland Road later today, the Leeds boss may need to reflect on Ayling's dour display when the two sides met in the reverse fixture back in February.

That meeting at the City Ground saw the £20k-per-week man prove somewhat culpable for the game's only goal, as the long-serving asset arguably "fell asleep" after losing his man in the build-up to Brennan Johnson's winner, as per pundit Shaun Wright-Phillips.

That lapse in concentration epitomised what was a rather dour outing for the former Bristol City man, as he again proved rather lightweight in a defensive sense after winning just four of his 12 total duels, while being dribbled past on two occasions.

The 6-foot menace was not just a liability out of possession, however, having also failed to make his mark on the ball, regularly playing his side into trouble after losing the ball on 27 occasions and completing just five of his 12 attempted long balls.

While that might have been part of Ayling's desire to 'get forward and create' – as noted at the time by Yorkshire Evening Post's Graham Smyth – it remains rather worrying for a defender to be so erratic when attempting to play out from the back.

Gracia – who wasn't in charge at the time of the trip to Nottingham – can likely ill-afford another error-strewn performance from the struggling asset this time around, with it perhaps for the best that Ayling sits this one out.

Newcastle United hold concrete interest in signing Watford striker Joao Pedro this summer, according to a recent report from Football Insider.

Will Newcastle sign a striker this summer?

Since returning from injury, Alexander Isak has hit a rich vein of form for Newcastle, scoring five goals in his last five Premier League games, though Eddie Howe is still running the rule over new strikers for the summer transfer window.

Marcus Thuram is one target for the Magpies, and they have recently been handed a boost in the race for his signature, as the Borussia Monchengladbach man is said to have rejected a contract offer from Inter Milan.

Goncalo Ramos has also been linked with a move to St James' Park – however, it has now been reported that any potential suitor will now need to fork out €120m (£105m) in order to win the race for the Benfica forward.

There are more affordable options available, however, with Football Insider claiming Newcastle have a concrete interest in signing Watford striker Pedro, who they have tried to sign before.

The Magpies had a £30m offer rejected for the 21-year-old last summer, but they are still said to be keen, and have been closely monitoring him throughout the current campaign.

The starlet is regarded as a top talent, with the versatility required to play in a number of different roles at the top level, and another bid appears to be on the cards this summer.

Would Joao Pedro be a good signing for Newcastle?

After a slow start to life in English football, scoring just three goals in 28 Premier League games during the 2021-22 campaign, the Brazilian is starting to find his feet, albeit in the second tier, emerging as a vital player for Watford.

The marksman is the Hornets' top scorer in all competitions, having scored ten goals so far this season, also weighing in with four assists, which indicates he could be ready to make the step up to the top flight.

Football Scout Jacek Kulig seemingly echoes that view, given that he described the £25k-per-week forward as "one of the Championship's best players" earlier this season, also lauding him as "elegant & skilful".

Over the past year, the attacker ranks in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons per 90, when compared to his positional peers at a similar level, while he also places in the 92nd for aerials won, showcasing his dominance in the air.

It may be difficult for Pedro to immediately break into the Newcastle starting XI given Isak's recent performances; however, he is still very young and could go on to be an important player in a few years' time.

Leeds United travel to Craven Cottage this weekend to take on Fulham, with Javi Gracia's side looking to put their recent thrashings in the Premier League behind them.

The West Yorkshire outfit had looked to put themselves in a strong position with regard to the Premier League's relegation battle following impressive wins over rivals Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but look to be in real trouble after successive home defeats.

Here is the latest injury and suspension news from Elland Road, ahead of a tricky game against a high-flying Fulham side on Saturday.

Who is suspended for Leeds this weekend?

None of Leeds' players will miss the game against Fulham through suspension, and none are at risk of picking up a ban due to too many yellow cards.

However, Fulham's star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic will miss the game as he continues his eight-match suspension after pushing the referee in the Cottagers' FA Cup defeat against Manchester United.

What is the latest Leeds injury news?

Speaking in his press conference ahead of Leeds' trip to west London, Gracia has provided an update on the likes of Patrick Bamford, Max Wober and Wilfried Gnonto, who have all struggled with injury concerns in recent weeks.

He said: "Patrick is training but I don’t know if he will be ready. Max was available [against Liverpool] but only trained one, two days and I think now he is in a better condition to help the team.”

Gnonto could be ready after he picked up an injury on international duty with Italy, with the Spanish manager suggesting that he had tried to protect the teenager by leaving him out of the starting side for recent fixtures.

However, Stuart Dallas remains sidelined due to a thigh injury, with the 31-year-old unlikely to feature for the remainder of the season, while Tyler Adams is also ruled out because of the problem he picked up in the warm-up against Wolves last month.

What is the latest Patrick Bamford injury update?

Bamford was forced off after scoring in Leeds' 5-1 defeat against Crystal Palace recently and didn't make the squad for the game against Liverpool, so it seems as if he faces a race against time to be fit for the Fulham game.

At the time of writing, Premier Injuries suggests that he has a 75% chance of featuring against the Cottagers, but must pass a late fitness test to do so.

Given that the 29-year-old has been Gracia's preferred option up front this season, it would be a blow for the Whites to not have him available for what could be considered a must-win game against an out-of-sorts Fulham side on Saturday.

Although his goalscoring record this season has not been the best with just three goals in 22 Premier League outings, he offers a lot in the attack with his link-up play and non-stop running, which was praised by Glenn Murray and Jermaine Beckford after he returned from injury in Leeds' 3-1 win over Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup earlier this term.

Murray said: "Leeds have missed Patrick Bamford so much and everyone knows it, when you lose your goalscorer, that is the main man you don't want to lose, and he was really on the cusp of a wave."

Beckford added: "One of the main things Leeds have missed since Patrick has been out is his selfless running. The high energy, high intensity and just causing every defender all sorts of issues and problems. So to have him back with support is a major boost."

Fortunately, Gracia has plenty of options to choose from as his replacement in west London and may be forced to look to those players if Bamford isn't fit enough to start.

Who could play instead of Bamford v Fulham?

Rodrigo, who is Leeds' top scorer in the Premier League season with 11 to his name, seems the natural replacement for Bamford in the attack, especially after he was given the nod against Liverpool last time out.

Gracia did experiment with a striker-less system in the 4-1 defeat against Arsenal, with Brenden Aaronson the furthest forward in that game, but it would be a surprise to see him try that again at Fulham.

Finally, club-record signing Georginio Rutter could be an option for the Spaniard, but his lack of game time since his January switch from Hoffenheim suggests that he simply isn't fancied as the man to help keep Leeds up this season.

Therefore, it could be argued that Bamford returning to the side will be key to getting a result on the road this weekend, and with the visitors desperate for points, we wouldn't be surprised if Gracia is sweating over his availability.

It does seem that the time for experimentation is over and Leeds must simply get points on the board in any way they can if they are to maintain their Premier League status.

ICC head of global development Tim Anderson has said the USA Cricket Association, which was suspended at last June’s ICC Annual Conference, has until December 15 to ratify a new constitution

Peter Della Penna09-Jun-2016ICC head of global development Tim Anderson has said the USA Cricket Association, which was suspended at last June’s ICC annual conference, has until December 15 to ratify a constitution that gives representation to the entire US cricket community and is compliant with US Olympic Committee statutory requirements.The December deadline is an indication that USACA has been given every opportunity to have its suspension lifted before the end of the year rather than facing expulsion at the ICC annual conference later this month in Edinburgh.A new constitution is one of 39 terms and conditions laid out by the ICC for USACA to satisfy in order to be reinstated. Establishing a revised governance structure was former USACA chief executive Darren Beazley’s primary task when he took over the role in February 2013, but he could not gain enough support at the USACA AGM that November and resigned in March 2014. USACA has failed to ratify a constitution at three subsequent AGMs, including the most recent one on April 9 in Florida.In an email sent to USA cricket’s stakeholders on Thursday, Anderson said there was progress in framing the new constitution during meetings with the a 10-person advisory group in Colorado Springs on June 4 and 5. ICC chief executive David Richardson and ICC chief counsel Iain Higgins were also in attendance along with Anderson and ICC Americas regional development manager Ben Kavenagh.”Many different governance structures were considered during the two-day workshop, and significant progress was made towards reaching agreement for a number of fundamental principles which will best serve the primary objective of unifying the USA cricket community,” Anderson wrote in the email. “Further work will be required in order to complete this exercise over the coming weeks/months, and further updates will be provided as the proposed model and supporting documents are prepared.”The ICC delegation was also given a welcome reception by local dignitaries in Colorado Springs to celebrate the relocation of the ICC Americas office from Toronto. Among those in attendance were current USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun and former USOC president Bill Hybl. The reception was held by the El Pomar Foundation at Penrose House.Interviews were also held for several staff positions at the new Colorado Springs office, which is set to open next month. According to Anderson, ten candidates were shortlisted for in-person interviews from over 100 applications received for the positions of USA project manager and USA project officer.

Eoin Morgan’s moderate run has left some Middlesex supporters uneasy but he came good with a judicious half-century at Chelmsford that with the help of a partial floodlight failure proved good enough to stave off Essex’s run chase

ECB Reporters Network10-Jun-2016
ScorecardEoin Morgan recovered some form for Middlesex•Getty Images

England’s T20 captain Eoin Morgan anchored Middlesex’s second T20 NatWest Blast victory of the season with a calm reassertion of his ability which was enough to tame an out-of-sorts Essex who had to manufacture a chase with one floodlight pylon out of action.Morgan, coming in at No 4, finished unbeaten on 59, topped up by a last-over thrash in which he hit Graham Napier for what turned out to be 22 priceless runs. Morgan clubbed Napier for two big sixes in that over to add to five fours in a knock that encompassed 41 balls.New Zealand pace bowler Mitchell McClenaghan starred in his first appearance for Middlesex, taking 4 for 33.Middlesex, winning the toss and batting, went off at a fair lick and were 71 for one off seven overs. But they became becalmed mid-innings by the occasional spin bowling of Dan Lawrence and Tom Westley and lost wickets with almost wanton abandon. Even Morgan’s rescue job did not remove suspicions that they had an underpar total.However, their 173 for 8 looked better the longer Essex’s response went on. Only when Ashar Zaidi came to the wicket and cracked three sixes in a quickfire 27 did the home side look remotely in the chase.But the target grew larger and larger in the gloom of a Chelmsford evening with one floodlight pylon out of action – making it difficult for the batsmen, and the occasional fielder, to spot the ball. Ryan ten Doeschate’s unbeaten 58 could only take them within 17 runs.It had started well for Essex. Matt Quinn beat Dawid Malan for pace twice in successful balls and then had him dropped in the covers by Westley. Brendon McCullum went after him with a one-bounce four over long-on and a six over long-off before he was caught on the midwicket boundary by Callum Taylor for 16 off Napier.Quinn’s second over also went for 16 with Paul Stirling scooping a six into the balcony of the executive suite, before Malan greeted Wahab Riaz with a six over square and two fours in an over that cost 18. Riaz stopped Stirling’s 14-ball rampage the ball after he was hooked for six by knocking over his off-stump.Lawrence’s leg spin applied the brake. In his third over, he accounted for Malan and James Fuller in three balls and ended with remarkable figures of 2 for 22. Malan was caught on the long-on boundary by Jesse Ryder, and Fuller went two balls later, snapped up by Napier.Ryan Higgins was run out to an incredible piece of fielding on the cover boundary where Quinn scooping the ball into Taylor’s hands for a throw into James Foster’s gloves that caught the batsman stranded halfway down the wicket.And John Simpson didn’t last long either, caught at wide mid-on by Ravi Bopara off Quinn, before James Franklin and McClenaghan were bowled within two balls by Napier.In Essex’s reply, Lawrence had a let-off on two when he clubbed Tom Helm to wide mid-on where Fuller put down a relatively simple catch. But Jesse Ryder was not so fortunate when Ryan Higgins raced round to claim his scalp at deep midwicket off Tom Helm.Westley underclubbed McClenaghan to McCullum at midwicket before Ravi Bopara was run out as Franklin followed up a tip-and-run from Lawrence and kicked the ball into the stumps. Lawrence, on 29, tried to reverse-sweep Nathan Souter over John Simpson’s head only for the wicketkeeper to turn and dive to claim it.That brought in Zaidi, who thumped Souter’s first ball over midwicket for six, and was then dropped next ball by Stirling. Zaidi made the most of his escape with two massive heaves over wide midwicket for sixes off Stirling. But after the second maximum he advanced down the wicket to Stirling and was stumped by Simpson for a 13-ball 27. Essex then required 68 off six overs.Callum Taylor hammered Helm to cow corner for six and ten Doeschate did the same next ball by pulling McClenaghan over square for another six. But Taylor was then caught and bowled by the New Zealander, two balls later Foster lobbed into Stirling’s hands. McClenaghan claimed his fourth wicket when Napier hit to Fuller without scoring.Ten Doeschate reached his fifty off 39 balls, including four fours and a six, later sending a second six into the River Can. But it was no more than consolation for the home crowd.

Everton have generated some incredible talent from their Finch Farm academy with Tom Cannon the latest prodigy breaking through into first-team football.

However, Farhad Moshiri could now be heading for another transfer disaster.

What's the latest on Tom Cannon's Everton future?

According to journalist Alan Nixon, the Everton striker is attracting attention for his performances out on loan at Preston North End and now the club could be subjected to a bid from Swansea City to secure his services this summer.

Nixon claimed on his Patreon subscription platform: "Everton striker Tom Cannon is a wanted man – with Swansea now rivalling Preston to take him next season.

"The Welsh outfit are strong on Republic of Ireland U21 cap Cannon who has been a huge hit for North End on loan.

"Swans had been asking about Cannon before he scored against them last week and his performance only confirmed their thoughts. Everton boss Sean Dyche will look at Cannon in pre-season and may even promote him to his first team squad."

"But if Cannon is allowed out again then Swans will be trying as hard as Preston and may even make a cash offer if they lose top scorer Joel Piroe."

Will Tom Cannon play for Everton next season?

It is no secret that Everton's biggest problems this term have come in front of goal, with the club failing to secure the services of a prolific goal-scorer to replace the contributions of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the forward line.

Whilst Richarlison made a £60m exit that earned the Toffees a tidy profit, the combination of his departure alongside the constant injury issues that have plagued Calvert-Lewin over the last two seasons, has left the side unable to find the back of the net consistently and, as a consequence, resulted in another relegation scrap at the bottom of the table.

No other team in the entire Premier League has scored fewer goals than Everton this season so far (24), so it will be imperative that the powerbrokers at Goodison Park address this issue as the highest priority at the end of the campaign, whether they retain their top-flight status or not.

Indeed, there are several financial concerns surrounding the Merseyside club with an investigation underway at present, so there will be an appeal to the hierarchy to sell on their hottest prospects to give them the best possible chance of escaping any further turmoil.

On the other hand, by deploying Cannon in the centre-forward role, they could save themselves millions in outsourcing a new addition to add depth to their attacking line, especially if the young goal machine can continue his current form at Goodison Park next season.

Over 18 Championship appearances, the Irishman – hailed "ruthless" by journalist Joe Thomas – has scored eight goals, registered one assist and created three big chances, as well as averaging 1.1 shots on target and 1.1 successful dribbles per game, with none of the current Everton forwards scoring as many goals as the rising star so far.

With that being said, it would make little to no sense for the Toffees to take a quick buck for Cannon this summer and should instead allow him the chance to become a consistent feature in the first team.

Although Richarlison was a very different case, they have already felt the true force of letting one prolific striker go, they cannot afford to do the same in this situation. Indeed, keeping the youngster at the club could pay off significantly.

The Dhaka Premier League match between Abahani Limited and Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club was called off after the umpires walked off the BKSP-3 stadium. The match was not played on the reserve day as the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis, the BCB standing committee that runs the league, had not announced its decision.* The umpires had reportedly walked out citing “illness”.The incident that triggered them leaving the field occurred in the 16th over of Prime Doleshwar’s chase when Raqibul Hasan was given not out by umpire Tanvir Ahmed off a stumping appeal from left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib. The Abahani players protested and their fans began to hurl abuse at the umpires, at which point they left the field after consulting with match referee Montu Datta.Eventually, Prime Doleshwar were asked to chase a revised target according to the D/L method, but they refused saying the weather wasn’t a factor and the interruption wasn’t their fault.”Why should we go by the Duckworth/Lewis method? Our club officials are not going to abide by it today. The match didn’t stop because of us. What happened was quite unfortunate,” Prime Doleshwar coach Mizanur Rahman Babul said.Khaled Mahmud, the Abahani coach, thought it was a case of the umpires overreacting. “There was no threat or any situation created that the umpires had to leave the field,” he said. “They could have handled the situation much better. It is quite natural that [Prime] Doleshwar didn’t want to play according to the D/L method when the situation didn’t demand of such a thing.”* 0515am, June 13, 2016. The news article was updated with the information that the match was not played on the reserve day

Liverpool will host title challengers Arsenal this afternoon in their Premier League clash at Anfield and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that his team can maintain their impeccable home record against the Gunners.

The Easter Sunday showdown will see the league leaders travel to the stadium they haven't won at since 2012, while for their own sakes, Liverpool will be desperate to put a dent in the Gunners' title dreams to earn themselves three points in their pursuit to keep their outside chance of securing a Champions League qualifying spot at the end of the season alive.

The Reds are currently 13 points adrift of fourth-place Newcastle United going into their game with Arsenal and with only ten games remaining to close the gap, there will be no room for error over the coming weeks ahead.

Klopp made a number of changes to the team that pulled off a well-fought stalemate with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this week, with Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson notably missing in an effort to refresh the team following a string of disappointing performances.

However, when Mikel Arteta's phenomenally in-form side make the trip to Merseyside this weekend, the Liverpool boss won't have the luxury of dropping his most experienced players and will need them in their best condition to take on the tenacious Gunners.

One player who did feature in the Chelsea clash and should retain his spot against Arsenal is Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino, whose incredible record against the side is well-known by both the Anfield faithful and supporters of the North London club.

Will Roberto Firmino start vs Arsenal?

The £180k-per-week Liverpool star has been integral to their multiple successes and has confirmed that he will not be extending his stay at Anfield when his contract expires in the summer, so one last opportunity to punish Arsenal is the least he deserves for his incredible service over the years.

Firmino has tallied up 17 appearances against the Gunners, netting ten goals and registering three assists, with only three defeats and a whopping nine victories over them, easily becoming Liverpool's most productive talisman and scores for fun when it comes to their meetings.

Not only that, the 31-year-old goal machine is currently the club's third highest goalscorer despite a troubling season, with ten goals and five assists in all competitions, as well as a better conversion rate (30%) and shot accuracy (76%) than any other Liverpool player who has scored a goal so far.

Firmino has been lavished with praise over his tenure at Anfield and talkSPORT's Darren Ambrose reserved huge compliments for the player upon the confirmation that he will leave at the end of the season:

“Does he go down as a Liverpool legend? Absolutely, 100 per cent!

“For a player who has won that many trophies, scored that many goals and has been very self-sacrificial for the team.

“It’s the end of an era at Liverpool. It was the end of an era when Mane left, really, but it’s a real end of an era now because Firmino is leaving too.”

With that being said, there is no doubt that Firmino should be in the starting eleven this afternoon as it would be a phenomenal way to see out his final weeks at Anfield by scoring even more goals against Arsenal.

Arsenal return to Premier League action tonight, as they host Southampton in what is a must-win clash; although, with just seven games left as they battle for the title, every game has taken on such importance.

That is what makes their recent slips against West Ham United and Liverpool all the more frustrating, especially given they squandered leads in both.

Tonight, however, they face a wholly different challenge, as they welcome the 20th-placed team in the division with the hopes they can use it as a return to form. With a trip to face Manchester City on the horizon, tonight marks a fine opportunity to bolster confidence in preparation for such a monumental game.

However, they are to once again be without William Saliba, as Mikel Arteta admitted:

"He’s not progressing as quickly as we hoped and it is a bit delicate so we want to be certain that when we push him, he’s ready to absorb the load and the risk that we’ll take, and that’s not possible at the moment."

Whilst Oleksandr Zinchenko is at a more advanced stage in his recovery, a start tonight also seems unlikely given the risk it would pose in a fixture they should be able to win without. However, his absence could pose an interesting opportunity for a tactical shift.

How could Arsenal line up against Southampton

Arteta could make as many as three changes to the side that drew 2-2 at the London Stadium, with alterations made both due to necessity and with one eye on Wednesday's crunch match.

Aaron Ramsdale will be seeking to put aside his disappointment from last week with a fine showing tonight, but will have to remain sharp when his moment comes. The 24-year-old made just one save last game, yet shipped two goals.

The back four is expected to remain largely unchanged, but after his struggles to perform in the inverted full-back role, Kieran Tierney could drop out. Given Granit Xhaka deputised in his position after his substitution last time out, perhaps Arsenal could seek to add such a fine creative presence to the defence given their expected dominance of the ball.

Ben White will occupy the opposite flank, whilst Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes retain their spots through the middle.

Seeing the Swiss general move into the back four opens up an opportunity for Fabio Vieira to take his chance beside Thomas Partey. They will offer a defensive foil to supplement the creativity of captain Martin Odegaard.

As mentioned, their dominance in tonight's clash should see them through without needing a full-strength side, especially when the likes of Leandro Trossard and Emile Smith-Rowe are the alternatives to replace Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Seeking to keep the star men fresh, so they can truly wreak havoc next week, perhaps handing the 22-year-old his first league start of the season following a return from injury could be the injection of enthusiasm needed to put this game to bed early.

The Belgian's inclusion needs no explanation, with the £40k-per-week maestro having already garnered praise despite only joining in January. Journalist Richie Mills, who reports on Brighton and Hove Albion, will know more than most just what a "magic man" the 28-year-old can be.

These two will flank Gabriel Jesus, who has made a seamless return to first-team action after his own lengthy lay-off, scoring four in his last three.

Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Ramsdale; White, Gabriel, Holding, Xhaka; Vieira, Odegaard, Partey; Smith-Rowe, Jesus, Trossard.