£39m Arsenal star could make first PL start this season vs Brentford, 95% passing at Chelsea

Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly could make his first Premier League start of the season against Brentford on Wednesday night.

The Gunners shared the spoils against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in yesterday’s hotly contested London derby.

The Blues had Moises Caicedo sent off in the 38th minute, but they still managed to break the deadlock through Trevoh Chalobah after the interval.

Mikel Merino bagged the equaliser for the Gunners, but they could not go on to seal a victory.

Despite this, Arsenal remain top of the table with a five-point lead over Manchester City and will host Brentford on Wednesday.

Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta has a big decision to make in the left-back department.

Riccardo Calafiori picked up his fourth yellow card of the league campaign against the Blues, and he is one booking away from a domestic ban.

Arsenal have a tough assignment away at Aston Villa on Saturday. It could influence Arteta’s left-back choice against the Bees.

We believe Calafiori may not be risked by the manager from the starting XI, which could pave the way for Lewis-Skelly’s first league start of the campaign.

Arteta has tried Piero Hincapie at left-back already this season, but the Ecuadorian could partner Cristhian Mosquera in central defence once more.

William Saliba picked up a knock in training last week. With the short turnaround time, Arsenal may not want to take any risks with the Frenchman too.

Lewis-Skelly has managed just 150 league minutes this term. He came on as a half-time substitute for Calafiori yesterday and had a nervous outing.

The Englishman picked up a booking early on and did not have any significant influence in the final third despite the Blues playing with 10 men.

Lewis-Skelly completed 95 percent of his passes, but won only two out of seven duels. He did not produce a single cross into the Blues’ box.

Despite this, the £39 million-rated star could get the nod at left-back over Calafiori due to the suspension risk.

Villa have been Arsenal’s bogey club in recent times. The Gunners have won just one of the previous four meetings against the West Midlands outfit.

Unai Emery’s side have picked up 12 points in their last five league games. Arteta will surely want Saliba and Calafiori in the XI for the visit of Villa Park.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

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