Arsenal will be without two mainstays of their team for Friday's 2021-22 Premier League opener with Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium.

Reports on the morning of the match stated that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette will both miss out through illness, leaving Folarin Balogun as the Gunners' only recognised centre-forward.

The Gunners lost Thomas Partey to an ankle injury in their pre-season defeat against Chelsea, while centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes remains sidelined with the knee issue which forced him to withdraw from the Olympics.

Eddie Nketiah completes the confirmed absentees for Arsenal as he battles his way back from his own ankle problem, while Rob Holding is short of fitness and will need to be assessed prior to kickoff.

However, Holding's place in Mikel Arteta's XI is far from certain given the arrival of Ben White, who should line up alongside Pablo Mari as Kieran Tierney and Calum Chambers man the flanks.

Bernd Leno and Granit Xhaka seem set to remain at the club despite persistent links with exits, and the latter could find himself partnered by new arrival Albert Sambi Lokonga, who impressed in pre-season against Tottenham Hotspur.

Mohamed Elneny may therefore have to make do with a place on the bench, while Emile Smith Rowe will begin the campaign as Arsenal's chief creative asset while they continue searching the transfer market for reinforcements.

Bukayo Saka returned to action against Spurs and may earn a starting place given Arsenal's illness woes, with Nicolas Pepe also providing pace and trickery down the wing as Arteta opts for either Balogun, Gabriel Martinelli or Willian - as a false nine - to start up front.

Arsenal possible starting lineup: Leno; Chambers, White, Mari, Tierney; Xhaka, Lokonga; Saka, Smith Rowe, Pepe; Balogun body check tags ::