Arsenal manager Unai Emery has confirmed that midfielder Mesut Ozil has overcome his back problem and should make the matchday squad for the upcoming Europa League clash against Qarabag at the Emirates Stadium.
The game is pretty much a dead-rubber for both sides but the Gunners have the opportunity to pick up a fifth-straight clean sheets which would match the all-time record in the competition – currently shared by Napoli and Red Bull Salzburg.
Speaking ahead of Thursday night’s game, Emery acknowledged that Ozil would be making the matchday 18 after overcoming a nagging back problem but the Spanish tactician refused to confirm whether the German would feature from the off.
“I don’t know. Tomorrow he is in the group, there are 18 players in the squad for this match and I am going to decide if he plays tomorrow from the beginning or during the match in the 90 minutes,” he is quoted as saying by Arsenal.com.
Ozil was surprisingly dropped to the bench for the Bournemouth game following the international break and he has since failed to make the matchday squad for four successive matches amid the recent back problem.
However, the midweek game offers him the opportunity to win over the manager’s confidence once more and a strong showing may potentially enhance his prospects of making the first XI at Southampton this weekend.
Meanwhile, Emery also confirmed that Laurent Koscielny would mark his first competitive appearance of the season against Qarabag and he could continue to feature in the Premier League over the weekend, provided he goes unscathed on Thursday night.
