Arsenal will have the unenviable task of overcoming a deficit against Villarreal to reach the final of the Europa League. With a few big names set to miss out on Thursday, what is their team news looking like?
Trailing in a knockout tie is not a nice position to be in but that’s where the Gunners find themselves. The one good thing from the first leg was the away goal scored by Nicolas Pepe. Mikel Arteta will want his players to take the momentum from Sunday’s win over Newcastle United, and take the fight to the visitors.
Arsenal vs Villarreal FYIs
Kick-off Time: 8:00 PM, 6 May (Thursday)
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction: go here
Form Guide Europa League: Arsenal (WLDWL) Villarreal (WWWWW)
At the Emirates, the North London club will be without the services of Dani Ceballos. That’s because the midfielder is suspended for this leg after receiving a red card last week.
The other big name that will most likely miss out is centre back David Luiz; as the Brazilian suffered a hamstring injury at the weekend.
But there is some good news that will cheer up Arteta. Both Kieran Tierney and Alexandre Lacazette are training with the first team. They are in contention for the second leg, but whether they are completely fit to feature or not remains to be seen.
Thursday will also be the first time Unai Emery returns to North London as the opposing manager. Though he will be confident going into the game, the Spaniard needs to be wary of the attacking threat that the hosts carry.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back among the goals, the North Londoners will have a new outlook upfront. With players such as Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe feeding him, the Gabonese forward will strive to lead his team to the final.
The Yellow Submarines will most likely sit back and wait for the hosts to make a move. Arsenal will need to constantly keep applying pressure on the visitor’s defence. This is the only way to make them crumble and give the Gunners a shot at winning the tie. The performance has to be several notches above what we saw last week.
Arteta will want to show his managerial mettle by beating Emery’s men. This won’t be easy, but it is certainly achievable.