Guimarães Awaits Chance as Arsenal Faces Sunderland
Bruno Guimaraes will have to bide his time a little longer. Arsenal’s £75million summer signing from Newcastle starts on the bench again tonight as Mikel Arteta’s side face Sunderland in the Premier League.
The Brazilian has endured a stuttering opening to life in north London, his rhythm broken by minor injury problems that have limited his minutes. He returned to action in midweek, coming off the bench in the Champions League win over Napoli, but Arteta resists the temptation to throw him straight into the starting XI on his return to Wearside.
If he does step onto the pitch at the Stadium of Light, the reaction is guaranteed. A former Newcastle captain in Arsenal colours, back in the North East, in a league fixture that matters. The noise will follow him from the touchline to his first touch.
Team Changes
Arteta does make changes. Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz are restored to the starting lineup after only brief cameos in Wednesday’s 1-0 league phase victory in Naples, rewarded for their impact off the bench with full roles from the first whistle.
There is another significant name back in the fold. Jurrien Timber is included in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time since suffering injury in March. The defender has steadily increased his workload in recent weeks and travelled with the group to Italy on Tuesday, though he did not feature against Napoli. Tonight marks an important checkpoint in his comeback.
Injuries
Not everyone is ready to return. Mosquera misses out again, still sidelined after a muscle problem picked up in the win over Aston Villa, which has already cost him the last two matches.
At the back, Arsenal continue to plan without William Saliba. The French centre-back faces an extended spell out after aggravating a long-standing back issue while on World Cup duty with France earlier in the summer. He has at least avoided surgery, but his absence continues to shape Arteta’s defensive options.
So Arsenal arrive at Sunderland with a marquee signing still on the bench, a key defender still in the treatment room, and a returning Timber edging closer to full involvement. The hostility in the stands is guaranteed. What Guimaraes does with it, if and when he is unleashed, could define the night.
