Arsenal suffered a shock 0-1 defeat against Belarusian outfit BATE Borisov at the Borisov Arena last week in the first leg of Round of 32 in the Europa League.
In all fairness, the Gunners had put on a turgid and shambolic performance on the road and never really imposed their control on the game.
The Europa League is arguably their last hope of silverware this season and on Thursday, they are scheduled to host BATE Borisov at the Emirates Stadium for the second leg.
Unai Emery’s troops cannot afford to be complacent if they are to pave their way to the last 16 of the Europa League and must put on a stellar display at home.
Arsenal Team News
Alexandre Lacazette received a direct red card after he swung his elbow at Aleksandar Filipovic in the previous fixture and will be unavailable.
Sokratis has returned to training following his ankle injury but might be rushed into the starting lineup by Emery. Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil are doubtful.
Rob Holding, Danny Welbeck and Hector Bellerin are still on the treatment table owing to their long-term injuries and won’t feature.
PREDICTED ARSENAL LINEUP VS BATE BORISOV (4-3-3)
Defence
Petr Cech is expected to be in goal once again. The veteran will look to safeguard his goal as the attackers go in search of the goals which will help them make a comeback in the tie.
We are likely to see Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi as the central defensive pairing.
Although Koscielny has been resilient at the back since his return from his spell on the sidelines, Mustafi has been the weak link in Arsenal’s defence and he has to step up on Thursday.
Sead Kolasinac has been productive down the left and will get the nod to start once more. Ainsley Maitland-Niles will be operating on the opposite flank and will look to help out his attacking players.
Midfield
A three-man midfield setup comprising of Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Denis Suarez could be rolled out by the former Paris Saint-Germain manager.
Guendouzi flattered to deceive in the first leg and will be aiming to make his presence felt this time around, while Suarez could finally get his full debut for Arsenal.
Attack
Due to the absence of Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could start up top. Aubameyang has been in good form in the league, having scored 15 goals in 25 league outings, and will remain their main goal threat.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi are expected to start on the flanks. Emery will need a vastly improved display from the pair of them if the Gunners hope to progress to the next round.
One would sincerely hope that this isn’t the lineup we see. Iwobi, Mikhitaryan and Suarez were all horrible last time out and not one of them has justified their inclusion over Ramsey or Ozil. One also has to question the inclusion of Mustafi who has been just as error prone this season as last. If Ozil and Ramsey don’t start and Arsenal bow out to lowly BATE, Arsenal fans will want Emery’s head on a plate. A manager’s job is to use what he’s got, if he doesn’t know how to use his best players then he doesn’t belong. Emery needs time, but his over-defensive tactics, reliance on old washed-up players, and inability to man-manage is cause for concern. He needs to turn things around and quickly because, at present, he seems to be making the same mistakes as Sarri and Mourhino.