Arsenal On Wednesday evening they effectively secured a place in the last sixteen of the UEFA Champions League, with two games to go.
The Gunners cruised to a routine 3-0 win over Club Brugge, but Fantasy’s fallout had more to do with the players missing or on the bench than the action on the pitch.
Don’t forget Wolverhampton Wanderers are hosting Mikel Arteta this weekend, so everything from Free Hit squads to the Gameweek 16 captaincy can be shaped by events in Belgium.
RESULT
| Team | They will resist | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Club Brugge (a) | 3-0 win | Madueke x2, Martinelli | Zubimendi x2, Lewis-Skelly |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| Team | Changes compared to the GW15 starting lineup | Players who retained their places (minutes played) | Minutes for other players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 5 | Raya (90), Zubimendi (90), Merino (90), White (83), Odegaard (71), Hincapie (63) | Inorgeard (90), Lewis-Skelly (90), Martinell (90), Madueke (71), Gyokeres (62), Jesus (28), California (27) and nananiri (19), Saka (19), Salmon (7), Salmon (7). |
WHY WOOD IS MISSING
The talk ahead of Gameweek 16 started before kick-off, with the absence of Jurriën Hout (£6.5 million) from the visitors team.
Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m), meanwhile, was just one of the replacements. There is no salvation for him for the weekend; he is suspended for one match.
In both cases, ‘Kicks’ were to blame.
“They both suffered from the weekend, two very bad kicks. For Jurrien it was too early. For Riccy we have to make it if he can make a few minutes.” – Mikel Arteta, speaking before kick-off
Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Caliori Join Gabriel Magalhaes and William Salba on the injury list 🤕
Midfielder Christian Norgaard starts as central defender for Arsenal against Club Brugge@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK | @LiamMacdevitt pic.twitter.com/JZL3zbQcPj
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 10, 2025
As for Timber, there are few concerns at this stage about his involvement with Wolves. The Dutchman was photographed several times during training prior to the Club Brugge matchand remember Arteta said his problem was picked up in Gameweek 15.
This seemed to smack of a tactical rest for the right back and central defender.
EZE + SAKA REST – GOOD FOR GAME WEEK 16?
Speaking of rest, perhaps the big winners of Wednesday evening Bukayo Saka (£10.2m) and God bless you (£7.8 million). Both were named among the substitutes at the Jan Breydel Stadium, hinting at a start in Gameweek 16. Saka only featured for the final 20 minutes, while Eze had the entire evening off.
Saka’s breather will have reinforced many managers’ decision to bring in the winger against Wolves. Since the team sheets came out in Belgium, Saka has increased his lead in the captaincy poll.
In the meantime, Piero Hincapie (£5.4 million) was saved in the last half hour. With so many injuries at the back, it looked like Arteta was protecting his only fully fit centre-back.
IS MADUEKE A THREAT TO SAKA?
But keep your horses there. Wasn’t it Saka’s main positional rival, Call Maduyke (£6.8m), just score a brace?
He did so, the first of which was a stunner: a run from midfield, followed by a howitzer from distance into the crossbar. He almost repeated the trick just before halftime, but eventually got a second when he nodded Martin Zubimendi‘s (£5.3m) cross from point-blank range after the break.
Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) did his best to match Madueke with another fantastic goal in the second half.
“Incredible goal. When you talk about individual quality, individual action, a magical moment, that’s it. A player who is able to take the ball so far, dribble past people and finish with the quality and the power he has delivered. Like Martinelli, I think that at this level you want to win games, you need individual players to go a step further and do something different. So I am very happy because now we have some players back on the front line and you can see how much better we are are with them.” – Mikel Arteta on Noni Madueke’s opening goal
Arteta was asked whether Madueke was pushing Saka for a start on the right wing and, perhaps tellingly in the second quote below, she challenged the former to do it “consistently”. Saka is one of Arteta’s most trusted lieutenants, with years of credit in the bank, so a Man of the Match match against a third team in the Belgian league is unlikely to force a radical rethink.
“Yes, maintaining the level. They also both have different qualities and that is good, because we are going to need them. We play every three days and players with that freshness and also with that bite in their teeth, knowing that they have to perform at that level and this is the standard we have set. It is something very good.” – Mikel Arteta on whether it helps if Noni Madueke pushes Bukayo Saka
“It’s about consistency, so for every player who plays in the middle, we have the same example. We have to have those standards and play consistently. It’s not a game, it’s two games, three games. It’s ‘Can you do it ten games in a row, every three days?’ And that is the level we have to reach.” – Mikel Arteta on whether Noni Madueke is “undroppable” and causing him headaches on the right wing
It wouldn’t actually be a surprise if both players start against Wolves, with Madueke on the left. Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) is on the injured list, while Martinelli appeared to be clutching his groin at the end of the match against Club Brugge. Eze, meanwhile, may be needed in central midfield after two starts Martin Odegaard (£7.8m) – who has recently returned from injury – as early as this week.
JESUS MAKES HIS COMEBACK
After a largely anonymous hour-long screening of Viktor Gyokeres (£8.8 million), Gabriel Jesus (£6.4m) made his comeback as a substitute.
He also looked quite lively, hitting the crossbar with one of three attempts in his cameo.
“Yes, and especially if he continues to perform the way he has and the energy he puts into training. I think he brings something different, and I was very happy to see that and also for him, for his confidence to grow, for his teammates to feel him too because some of them haven’t played with him. So Gabby has a very special quality where he suddenly connects everyone around him and that is something that we need as a team and it will make us better.” – Mikel Arteta on whether Gabriel Jesus has a role to play in the first team
Arsenal was not entirely convincing at the back, conceding eighteen goals. David Raya (£6.0m) was forced to make seven stops, including some very good ones.
The mitigation is that this was almost a completely second-line defense, without Messrs Calafiori, Timber, Saliba and Magalhaes. Christian Norgaard (£5.2m) even featured as a centre-back.
Still, this was probably three-quarters of the backline that will start against Wolves, with Timber coming back in.
Hincapie filled in for Gabriel in more ways than one: he also had a pair of set-piece attempts, with one hitting the post and the other clearing the line.
GOOD FOR GAME WEEKS 22-24!
Looking even further, Arsenal’s effective qualification – they need a point to get through mathematically, but it would take an erratic run of results, including a 13-goal swing, to now put them in ninth place – takes the pressure off matchdays 7 and 8 in the Champions League.
Arteta can use different players against Inter and especially against Kairat, without anything depending on the result.
That should be good news for Gameweeks 22-24, with the two UCL matches taking place either side of the game against Manchester United. Strong XIs beckon in their own country.
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