After a come-from-behind win in the north London derby on Sunday, Arsenal will take on Olympiacos in the return leg of the round of 16 Europa League tie at Emirates on Thursday.
The Gunners are starting to pick up some form, having won four of their last five games in all competitions. They will be confident of progressing to the next round of the Europa League as they will take a 3-1 lead into the second leg.
Olympiacos know they will have to score at least twice to have any chance of progressing. Mikel Arteta’s side have been rigid defensively, though, and are favourites to progress at the expense of their Greek opponents.
Arsenal Team News
Bukayo Saka is out for the second leg match as he suffered a hamstring injury in the London derby last Sunday. There are no other injury concerns so far and Mikel Arteta will have a fully fit squad for selection.
It remains to be seen if club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will feature, as he was dropped from the lineup against Spurs after arriving late.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup vs Olympiacos (4-2-3-1)
Defence
Bernd Leno should start in goal for the Gunners. Leno’s distribution has been criticised in recent games, and he will hope to put in an assured display come Thursday.
We expect Hector Bellerin and the in-form Kieran Tierney to play as the two full-backs in the Arsenal lineup. Gabriel could be rested, which means David Luiz and Pablo Mari could line up at the heart of the defence against Olympiacos.
Midfield
Thomas Partey was influential against Tottenham. His ability to win back possession and make crucial tackles in the middle of the park shields the back four.
The Ghanaian is likely to pair up with Granit Xhaka once again and form the double pivot.
Attack
Nicolas Pepe and Willian could be given the nod to play as the two wide players. Emile Smith Rowe will perhaps feature as the number 10, even though Martin Odegaard impressed in the previous game.
Aubameyang, who missed the north London derby, should be back in action in the Europa League clash after taking part in training with the rest of the squad. It seems like Arteta has forgiven the forward.
Working with a 😄
⚡️ @Auba
📍 Arsenal Training Centre pic.twitter.com/q8N9L48xin— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 16, 2021
