[ad_1]
James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images
Arsenal’s quest for UEFA Europa League glory will see them travel to Azerbaijan on Thursday, when they face FK Qarabag in their second group-stage clash.
The Gunners were comfortable winners in their first match in the competition, as they beat Vorskla 4-2 at the Emirates Stadium. While this match is expected to be tougher, the Premier League side will be favourites to come through the contest.
For Qarabag it’s a crucial game, as they lost their first match 2-0 at Sporting CP. If they’re to progress into the knockout stages of the competition, their form at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium is going to be crucial.
Date: Thursday, October 4
Time: 5:55 p.m. (BST), 12:55 p.m. (ET)
TV Info: BT Sports (UK)
Live Stream: BT Sport Website (UK), BR Live (U.S.)
Odds (courtesy of OddsChecker)
Qarabag win (19-2)
Draw (7-2)
Arsenal win (7-15)
Preview
After two losses to start his tenure as Arsenal manager, Unai Emery is beginning to stamp his mark on the team.
As the club’s official Twitter account noted, they’ve now strung together an impressive seven wins in all competitions:
Arsenal FC @Arsenal
Arsenal in September: WWWWWW 🙌
The Ws keep coming – that's seven in a row now 😎
#ARSWAT https://t.co/QVXR5qktdW
Although the Europa League will likely see Emery make changes from the typical Premier League lineup fielded by the Gunners, he will also be desperate to keep up this run of results, especially with some challenging fixtures to come in the top flight.
In their previous encounter, Arsenal easily rolled over Vorskla. Some players who featured in that encounter will likely get an opportunity on Thursday and will be given a more rigorous test by their opponents.
One player who will need game time is goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who appears set for a run in the team following Petr Cech’s injury against Watford on Saturday.
Per Goal UK, the 26-year-old has spoken about taking his chance in the team having joined from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer:
Goal UK @GoalUK
Bernd Leno is ready to seize his chance to shine for Arsenal. 👊
https://t.co/bFnkLGIH7d https://t.co/1pYFCtJEZZ
Charles Watts of Football.London was impressed with his display when thrust into the action against the Hornets:
Charles Watts @charles_watts
F/T: 2-0 Arsenal.
Really tough game, could easily have lost – but got the result, again.
Leno excellent, made crucial saves to keep Arsenal level, then the introduction of Iwobi gave Arsenal the spark they needed going forward.
Seven wins on the spin!
Stephan Lichtsteiner is also likely to get a game, and it will be intriguing to see how Emery sets up his forward line. Danny Welbeck, who scored two goals in the Carabao Cup win over Brentford last week, will be hopeful of getting an opportunity too.
Arsenal will be without Henrikh Mkhitaryan for this fixture, though. As noted by Mattias Karen of ESPN FC, the player opted against applying for a permit that allows Armenians to enter Azerbaijan amid tensions between the two nations.
Journalist James Montague provided more information on the issues surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh region:
James Montague @JamesPiotr
This is a really interesting story. The issue of Nagorno Karabakh is still very much a live one. UEFA still keep Armenia and Azerbaijan separate in tournament and qualifying draws. (Qarabag is the refugee team from Agdam in NK, which is now a ghost town) https://t.co/fAAE0jmDLx
The atmosphere will be hostile for the Arsenal players in Azerbaijan. Qarabag, a team with recent experience of playing UEFA Champions League football, have the potential to make it a frustrating evening for a much-changed Gunners team.
However, Arsenal are experienced enough to be able to cope in these circumstances and have enough quality to come through this one. Three points here would leave them in a strong position to make the knockout stages with their two toughest games of the group stage, against Sporting, to come next.
Prediction: Qarabag 0-2 Arsenal
Share this post if you enjoyed! 🙂
Read more at this link (News Source).
