Arsenal suffered a shock against BATE Borisov in their Europa League last-32 first leg match. The Gunners were unable to carve out many chances against BATE on a terrible pitch in Belarus.
The weather and the playing surface will be much more conducive to Arsenal’s play on Thursday night. Both should improve Unai Emery’s team’s performance.
Emery will be without striker Alexandre Lacazette after his red card in the first leg. The Arsenal manager has been called upon to make several changes to his team that meekly lost in the first leg. One of which is goalkeeper Petr Cech. The legendary goalkeeper has looked his age this season having lost the No. 1 position in the Premier League to Bernd Leno.
Arsenal have issues with player health ahead of the return leg. Aaron Ramsey is unlikely to feature due to a knee injury. Sokratis will assume his position in the heart of defence, but Mesut Ozil – who is out of favour with Emery – is suffering from illness. The German could be omitted from the side if he hasn’t recovered in time.
BATE Borisov are in their preseason as the Belarusian league will not start for a few more weeks. Prior to BATE’s win over Arsenal in the first leg, they hadn’t played since the Europa League group stage in December. BATE manager Alyaksey Baha has a side well rested although players may not be in full match fitness yet. Meanwhile, Arsenal have already played over half their season. Could BATE spring another surprise on the Gunners at the Emirates? An away goal will count as double for the Belarusians, therefore, it is imperative that Arsenal keep BATE out of the back of the net.
Arsenal go into the fixture having had a weekend off due to the FA Cup. The Gunners should be rested and ready for BATE’s visit. The two clubs have met three times in the last two seasons. Arsenal had won their two previous meetings before losing in the first leg. Their last meeting at the Emirates in the 2017-18 Europa League group stage saw Arsenal win 6-0.
Although Emery’s team will be under pressure from its home support, Arsenal will recover from their debacle last week. The Gunners will benefit from playing at the Emirates in the second leg even without Lacazette and Ramsey in the line-up. Expect the Gunners to play the ball much more smoothly on the slick turf of the Emirates. Arsenal will get the win they need and advance. They will also put in a strong defensive shift keeping a clean sheet against BATE.