Arsenal almost always have at least one player on the treatment table, but ahead of their Europa League fixture against Vitoria Guimaraes, this is not the case. Reiss Nelson was the last lingering player absent from duty but he made his return on Friday for the U23s.
As such, the Gunners will look to wrap up group F in Portugal on Wednesday.
Arsenal Look to Finish Off Group F at Vitoria Guimaraes
Team News
As mentioned above, no injuries will impact Unai Emery’s team selection. However, he will be hamstrung by a big Premier League fixture at the weekend as the Gunners will face Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City.
As such, the Spaniard will likely choose to rotate heavily in Portugal. That means fans are unlikely to see stars such as Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang feature on Wednesday.
On the other side of the coin, Vitoria Guimaraes also have no injuries to contend with against Arsenal. Unlike the Gunners, however, this match is do or die for the Portuguese side, who have yet to secure a single point in the competition.
Prediction
The tight 3-2 scoreline from the reverse fixture plus the contrasting fortunes of these two clubs makes this a mouth-watering encounter. The clubs should field sides of somewhat similar quality and the fact that Vitoria have their backs against the wall means that any gap in quality will be negligible.
Depending on results elsewhere, Arsenal could wrap up the group on Wednesday. Standard Liege have just three points to the Gunners’ nine, so a win from the English side and either a loss or draw from the Belgians would send the former through.
Please also take note of the odd time of the fixture. Due to UEFA rules, this match will take place on Wednesday instead of Thursday.
Predicted score: Vitoria Guimaraes 2 Arsenal 2
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