Sevilla will go in search of their first Champions League victory of the 2023-24 campaign when they travel to London to face Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday.
Ahead of Matchday 4, the Gunners find themselves one point clear at the summit of Group B – four points above third-placed Sevilla.
🚨 Final en Vigo ⏹️#CeltaSevillaFC #WeareSevilla #NuncaTeRindas pic.twitter.com/7fUPZPfGAb— Sevilla Fútbol Club (@SevillaFC) November 4, 2023
🚨 Final en Vigo ⏹️#CeltaSevillaFC #WeareSevilla #NuncaTeRindas pic.twitter.com/7fUPZPfGAb
With Lens and PSV Eindhoven also battling it out for a place in the knockout phase, Wednesday’s clashes look destined to mark a turning point in the group stage.
Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United last time out, meaning they head into Matchday 4 on a two-game losing streak across all competitions.
Still, Mikel Arteta’s men remain fourth in the Premier League table – three points shy of Manchester City – having lost just one of their 11 matches this season.
The Gunners kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 4-0 thrashing of PSV before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Lens, although they overcame Sevilla on Matchday 3.
Goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus handed Arsenal a 2-1 victory over Sevilla a fortnight ago, meaning the Andalusia outfit will be out for revenge this week.
As for Sevilla, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Celta Vigo on Saturday, meaning they have managed to win just one of their last eight matches across all competitions.
Having drawn five of their previous eight encounters, Sevilla will be eager to start turning draws into wins in order to improve their La Liga and UCL rankings.
Having won only two of their 11 league games this season, Sevilla find themselves 15th in the La Liga table – 20 points shy of surprise leaders Girona.
They have also failed to taste victory in the UCL this term, with draws against Lens and PSV preceding the defeat to Arsenal last time out.
Head-to-head: Arsenal have won two of their last three Champions League meetings with Sevilla, scoring six goals along the way.
Including friendlies, the Gunners have lost only two of their previous six matches against Sevilla, with Arteta’s men securing a 6-0 thrashing in the Emirates Cup last year.
Team news: Arsenal’s injury list contains Gabriel Jesus (muscle), Martin Odegaard (fitness), Thomas Partey (muscle), Emile Smith Rowe (knee) and Jurrien Timber (knee).
Sevilla, on the other hand, look set to be without the injured quartet of Sergio Ramos, Fernando, Marcao and Alfonso Pastor Vacas on Wednesday.
Given that Sevilla are experiencing a poor run of form right now, Arsenal will likely flex their muscles and cruise to victory on home soil.
Forebet predicts that Arsenal will breeze past Sevilla, with the hosts expected to score over 2.5 goals while keeping a clean sheet.