Arsenal play host to BATE Borisov in the final outing of their Europa League group phase. The Gunners have already qualified for the last 32 of the competition, and Arsene Wenger is likely to play a second-string side with a mixture of youth and experience.
Formation: 3-4-2-1
Lineup:
David Ospina has been the Gunners’ second-choice goalkeeper, and he is likely to take over the gloves from Petr Cech. The central defence could identically see changes with Mathieu Debuchy, Per Mertesacker and Rob Holding featuring in a three-man backline.
Calum Chambers got a run-in at right wing-back during the previous outing versus Koln, and he is likely to take up a similar position with Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the opposite direction.
Onto the midfield, there could be starts for Mohamed Elneny and Jack Wilshere – both of whom have been deserted of a regular action in the Gunners’ Premier League campaign.
Theo Walcott is likely to retain a spot after missing the Koln outing through illness, and we are backing him to play alongside Reiss Nelson, who was lively in the final minutes of the Koln clash.
Olivier Giroud could not make much of an impact in the Manchester United defeat last weekend, but he will want to put in a strong showing versus BATE after netting his 100th goal for the Gunners during the reverse fixture.
Arsenal XI: David Ospina, Rob Holding, Mathieu Debuchy, Per Mertesacker, Calum Chambers, Jack Wilshere, Mohamed Elneny, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Theo Walcott, Reiss Nelson, Olivier Giroud
