Arsenal will be at home to Greek side Olympiacos for the second leg of their Round of 16 clash in the Europa League. What kind of team can we expect from Mikel Arteta?
The North London club come into this game on the back of a huge win over Tottenham. They have a two-goal lead over the visitors which will give them a lot of confidence and freedom to play with.
As for the team news, there is one small problem that the Emirates club will have to deal with and that is the fitness of Bukayo Saka. The youngster was substituted with a hamstring problem on Sunday, and Arteta confirmed at the pre-match press conference that Saka is doing well but they will take a call later today.
Another talking point from the North London derby was the exclusion of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang due to disciplinary reasons. He is expected to return to the playing eleven after the Spanish boss revealed that issues have already been resolved.
Arteta will have the Gunners set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation that will have Bernd Leno in goal. There will be one change made to the defence from Sunday with Hector Bellerin coming in for Cedric. Kieran Tierney will start as the other full back and the center of defence will have David Luiz and Gabriel starting.
In the center of midfield, it will be the usual duo of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka. They were very good in the first leg and will be tasked with doing more of the same. By helping control the tempo of the game, they will look to push the North Londoners closer to victory.
With Saka still a doubt, Nicolas Pepe will be taking his place on the right wing. The Ivorian has had a great Europa League campaign and will be looking to add to his goal tally.
Martin Odegaard will once again take his spot as the central attacking midfielder having scored in back-to-back games. On the left wing, it will be Willian coming in for Emile Smith-Rowe.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be leading the line for Arsenal and will want to make up for missing out at the weekend. With one foot already in the quarterfinals, the Gunners can relax but there is a match to be won and they should win it.
Predicted Arsenal Starting XI Against Olympiacos (4-2-3-1):
Bernd Leno, Hector Bellerin, David Luiz, Gabriel, Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Nicolas Pepe, Martin Odegaard, Willian, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
