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Arsenal will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they take on BATE Borisov at the Emirates Stadium in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
The Gunners slipped to a surprise defeat in the first leg of their tie in the round of 32 on Valentine’s Day, courtesy of Stanislav Dragun’s header on the stroke of half-time.
Due to their exit from the FA Cup earlier in the year, Arsenal had no fixture to contend with over the weekend, so they’ll have had a full week to prepare as they bid to come back and progress.
Date: Thursday, February 21
Time: 5:55 p.m. GMT/12:55 p.m. ET
TV: BT Sport 3 (UK), Galavision (USA)
Live Stream: BT Sport App (UK), B/R Live (USA)
Odds: Arsenal (2-13), Draw (43-5), BATE (25-1)
Odds courtesy of Oddschecker.
The first leg was a night to forget for the Gunners, as James Olley of the Evening Standard observed:
James Olley @JamesOlley
FT 1-0 BATE One of Emery's worst nights at Arsenal. Controlled possession for long periods but did little with it. They'll fancy their chances of coming back in next week's second leg but the mere fact they have to do so is embarrassing for all concerned.
What perhaps made the defeat even more humiliating for the north London outfit is that BATE’s 2018 season came to an end on December 2, and their 2019 campaign will not begin until March 29, so they’re still in pre-season domestically.
Arsenal put 10 goals past the Belorussian side in two matches during the Europa League group stage last season, but last time out they struggled to even trouble their goalkeeper, despite having plenty of attempts:
Squawka Football @Squawka
@muhammadbutt 02': Henrikh Mkhitaryan
51': Alexandre LacazetteJust two of Arsenal's 16 shots against BATE Borisov were on target. 😫 https://t.co/qWNMUufIeb
They’ll need to be much more clinical this time around, though their efforts in that regard won’t be helped by the absence of Alexandre Lacazette.
The Frenchman was sent off in the first leg for swinging an elbow at Aleksandar Filipovic, so he’ll be suspended for the clash.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is his likely replacement. The Gabon striker has found the net 18 times this season, including twice in the Europa League, and they’ll need him to produce the goods once again.
Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Sokratis Papastathopoulos might also be involved, as they’re expected back from illness and injury, respectively, according to Football.London’s Charles Watts.
Arsenal need to score twice to avoid extra time, and they’ll require three if Aliaksei Baga’s side grab an away goal, so they could use the ability of the German or the Welshman to make incisive contributions in the final third.
The Gunners are more than capable of doing what’s needed, particularly given they’re at home, but it could be a long night if they don’t manage to get on the scoresheet early.
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