Arsenal will travel to Slavia Prague for the second leg of their Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday. Given the latest team news updates, what kind of team will manager Mikel Arteta be putting out on the pitch?
The North London club had the perfect preparation for this massive encounter as they scored an easy victory over the weekend. They emerged 3-0 winners over Sheffield United, which would give them some confidence as they head into a crucial game, one where the first meeting didn’t go in their favor.
In the first leg, the Emirates club completely dominated the game, but did not get the goals to show for it. They were made to pay for this as Slavia Prague got an all important away goal in the final minutes. This makes the second leg a bit more tense than it should be for Mikel Arteta’s men.
The visitors will continue here in their 4-2-3-1 formation with Bernd Leno in goal and there will be one change made to the defence. Hector Bellerin will replace Calum Chambers at right back and Granit Xhaka is most likely to fill up the left back spot.
In the middle, it will once again be the duo of Rob Holding and Gabriel. The back line will have to be alert so that they don’t end up conceding like they did last week.
With Xhaka playing as the left back, it opens the door for Dani Ceballos to be starting the game along with Thomas Partey in central midfield.
This was a combination that worked well at the weekend and Arteta is expected to stick with the same duo. The Ghanaian picked up a wonderful assist on Sunday and could have a bigger say in the second leg.
In midfield, there are a couple of decisions to be made, given that some players might not be available. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe and Martin Odegaard will undergo fitness tests to see if they will play a part. So, the trio that will take to the pitch will be Nicolas Pepe, Willian and Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal will find it hard to drop Alexandre Lacazette after his stellar performance against Sheffield. He will be starting upfront and will want to do much better after missing a few big chances in the first leg.
If the Gunners can be clinical in front of goal, they will return to London with a semifinal berth.
Predicted Arsenal Starting XI Against Slavia Prague (4-2-3-1):
Bernd Leno, Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Gabriel, Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Dani Ceballos, Nicolas Pepe, Willian, Emile Smith-Rowe, Alexandre Lacazette