Arsenal host Stoke City at the Emirates, a fixture which holds a lot more importance for the Potters given their league position. Arsenal sit in the 6th spot coming into this tie, 13 points adrift of the Champions League places, while Stoke have a relegation battle on their hands.
Arsene Wenger, who will be more keen on the Europa League commitment over the week, will hope that his team head into the quarter-final tie with confidence. Similarly, Paul Lambert has a huge task of uplifting his team away from the relegation zone and a positive result is going to be vital for their survival.
Here are three battles that could have a possible influence on the outcome of the fixture.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang vs Ryan Shawcross
First things first. If Stoke are to come away with anything at all from the Emirates, they have to stay in the game. Containing the Arsenal attack at home will be a tough ask. Aubameyang’s pace could cause huge problems for Shawcross and the Stoke City defence if they are not at their best tomorrow.
The Gabonese international scored and assisted in his last league encounter and will be high on confidence. Shawcross will have to be on top of his game to keep the goal-machine at bay.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan vs Erik Pieters
Mkhitaryan is another player coming in with confidence in abundance. He has resurrected his season after reuniting with his Dortmund partner-in-crime Aubameyang. Their partnership has been quite scintillating and Arsenal will hope that continues on Sunday.
Pieters’ communication with his centre-backs will have to be spot on if the link up play between Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan is to be limited. The Dutchman will have to do a lot of up and down running and getting caught on the break that could expose the right wing is something he should avoid.
Xherdan Shaqiri vs Nacho Monreal
The Swiss international could be Stoke’s route to get the much-needed goals. The Potters will be hugely dependent on his form and performance. If he can isolate Monreal and enjoy space on the right flank, he has the quality and skill to punish the Arsenal defence.
However, if Monreal can sit tight and not allow any room, it could turn out to be a long afternoon for Stoke given that Shaqiri can hold the ball up and link up play and is their most effective outlet. If Arsenal manage to cut down the supply to the Swiss star, there might not be a lot for Stoke to smile about tomorrow.
