IT is a sign of Arsenal’s fine form in the Champions League this season that they head to the San Siro tonight with the pressure off.
Mikel Arteta’s side have won all six of their games in the competition and currently sit top of the league phase.
Opta’s supercomputer gives the Gunners a 93.9 per cent chance of holding onto top spot as they prepare for their final two games against Inter Milan and Kairat Almaty.
The supercomputer also thinks it is basically impossible for Arsenal to not book a spot in the last 16.
In 10,000 of its most recent simulations, the Gunners progressed to the last 16 in every single one.
Given the emotion and high stakes of the Premier League title race right now, Arteta will surely be pleased to have a game which is essentially a dead rubber.
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And it begs the question, what does he do with his team tonight?
Away from the pressure of the title race this feels like the perfect opportunity to ring the changes.
Arsenal host Manchester United on Sunday, who are flying high after beating rivals Manchester City last weekend.
That is the biggest game for the Gunners this week and, even with a trip to the San Siro to come first, Arteta’s main focus should be on that.
The Spaniard has the squad depth to rotate – and this month’s hectic schedule has underlined that.
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Arsenal made 10 changes for their trip to Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round, where they ran out 4-1 winners.
Even with the mass rotation, the starting XI that day was worth around £280million.
And that was with two academy graduates – Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly – in the team.
Lewis-Skelly will hope to get the nod tonight and Nwaneri could get a chance as well, depending on how quickly his loan move to Marseille accelerates.
Arteta should look to give the likes of them minutes and rest key stars like Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.
This is Arsenal’s fourth away game in a row and that has naturally taken its toll.
Arteta historically likes to go strong with his teams.
At Port Vale earlier this season, in the third round of the Carabao Cup, he started both Saka and William Saliba.
But Arteta must resist that urge tonight and buck the trend.
A win against Manchester United on Sunday is worth far more than three points at the San Siro.
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