Home is where the heart is for Arsenal. The Gunners have struggled on the road this term and go into Thursday night’s Europa League quarterfinal first leg against Napoli having lost 1-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday.
The Gunners welcome Serie A side Napoli to the Emirates looking to take advantage of the tie.
Napoli have struggled on English soil in the past. The Partenopei came to England in the Champions League group stage and lost to Liverpool 1-0. Napoli, like Arsenal, are one of the favourites according to leading sportsbooks to win the Europa League. However, they will need to put in a good performance in London to have a chance of progression.
Not only have Arsenal struggled away from the Emirates in the Premier League, but they have failed to win away from home in the Europa League knockout stages. Arsenal lost 1-0 to BATE Borisov before besting the Belarusian team 3-0 at home. The Gunners again lost the away leg in the last 16 as they fell to Rennes 3-1 in France. Again, Arsenal pulled off a 3-0 home victory in the second leg.
Unai Emery’s team won’t have the benefit of playing the second leg at home to make up for their mistakes away from the Emirates in the quarterfinals. Arsenal must get off to a good start before heading to Naples. Can Arsenal win 3-0 against Napoli? It is unlikely as the Neapolitans are a strong side. But Carlo Ancelotti’s team are out of form. Napoli are winless in their last two Serie A matches with a loss against Empoli and a draw against Genoa at the weekend.
Napoli only overcame Red Bull Salzburg 4-3 in the Europa League last 16. After winning 3-0 at the San Paolo, Napoli went to Austria and were outplayed 3-1. Their away goal saved them in the tie.
Emery is hopeful centre-back stopper Laurent Koscielny will be available. The defender has been a big miss in the heart of the team as he has missed the team’s last two matches. Granit Xhaka is another important player for Arsenal fighting for fitness. The central midfielder has been unavailable since the international break ended. He could make his much-anticipated return on Thursday night.
Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne was originally set to miss the fixture. However, the Italian forward came on as a substitute against Genoa at the weekend. He is expected to start which will be a major boost to Napoli’s chances.
Arsenal and Napoli met twice during the 2013 Champions League group stage. The two sides split the fixtures with the home team winning both by 2-0 scorelines. Arsenal need to get off to a great start as their away form has been so inconsistent. Expect an Arsenal win with over 2.5 goals scored at the Emirates.