Arsenal face Ludogrets in the Champions League tonight and although the game looks straightforward on paper it presents manager Arsene Wenger with something of a headache, says the Daily Telegraph.
It's a game that Gunners need to win, as Ludogrets are the whipping boys of Group A, but Wenger will also be keen to rest some of his key players ahead of the Premier League clash with Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Last season the Arsenal boss was blamed for almost blowing Arsenal's Champions League hopes by fielding weakened teams that lost to Dynamo Zagreb and Olympiakos in the group stages. Later in the campaign he came under fire for refusing to rest Alexis Sanchez, who then picked up an injury against Norwich, which compromised the Gunners' title push.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
Squad rotation is "a question of balance, and it's something Wenger has not got right over the past few years", says Charlie Eccleshare of the Daily Telegraph.
"This season there is really no excuse to overburden his players, with Arsenal boasting their strongest squad in the Wenger era."
But having started with only 12 players in Arsenal's last four games Wenger faces a dilemma ahead of the clash at the Emirates. "Does he play the same team again and risk overloading the likes of [Alexis] Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott or does he freshen things up and risk losing the momentum generated by six straight wins?"
Getting it right is vitally important, as without silverware this season the Gunners could struggle to retain the services of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, who are set for contract negotiations.
Arsenal must convince the duo that the club "can challenge for silverware if contract negotiations are to conclude with the pair signing long-term deals", says The Guardian.
Wenger admitted as much when he said that "whether the club can meet their needs on the football front" was more important than a player's salary.
