Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League serves up a tasty clash in Group B, with Spanish side Sevilla hosting Arsenal at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Tuesday.
The two sides are separated by a solitary point in the standings, with third-placed Sevilla trailing second-placed Arsenal.
🌍 Champions League campaign continues🔙 Premier League action returns to N5🎙 Mikel's press conferencesCheck out what’s in store this week for our Gunners 👇— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 23, 2023
🌍 Champions League campaign continues🔙 Premier League action returns to N5🎙 Mikel's press conferencesCheck out what’s in store this week for our Gunners 👇
French outfit Lens sit one point clear at the summit of Group B after two matches, while Dutch club PSV Eindhoven find themselves rock bottom of the group with one point.
Sevilla head into Matchday 3 on the back of successive draws in the Champions League, meaning they have taken two points from a possible six.
Following a 1-1 stalemate with Lens in their opening clash, the Andalusians were held to a 2-2 draw by PSV on Matchday 2, conceding in the 95th minute.
Sevilla also played out a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid on Saturday, meaning they have drawn five of their previous seven games across all competitions.
Having taken nine points from a possible 27 in La Liga, Sevilla find themselves 13th in the table – three points outside the relegation zone.
On the flip side, Arsenal kicked off their Champions League campaign with a resounding 4-0 thrashing of PSV, racking up 59% possession and 18 shots on home soil.
However, the Gunners were brough back down to earth in their second UCL clash, suffering a 2-1 defeat at Lens, despite seeing 67% of the ball.
On Saturday, Arsenal came from 2-0 down to snatch a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, meaning they remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season.
Thanks to a run of six wins and three draws, Mikel Arteta’s men find themselves level on points with Manchester City at the summit of the English top flight.
Head-to-head: Sevilla and Arsenal last met in the Champions League back in 2007. The Gunners won 3-0 at home before the Andalusians won 3-1 in the reverse fixture.
The two sides have also played three friendlies since then, picking up one win each. In 2022, Arsenal thrashed Sevilla 6-0 in the pre-season Emirates Cup.
Team news: Sevilla will be without Alfonso Pastor Vacas on Tuesday as he continues to recover from a knee problem.
As for Arsenal, Jurrien Timber is a long-term absentee due to an ACL injury. On Saturday, Aaron Ramsdale was not included in the squad after his wife gave birth.
Despite Arsenal’s shaky performance in Lens, the Gunners are expected to bounce back in Spain on Tuesday.
Forebet predicts that Arsenal will score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching Sevilla, who are also likely to find the back of the net.