Arsenal return to European football action as they’ll lock horns against Spanish side, Sevilla at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, 8th of November in the UEFA Champions League matchday 4.
The Emirates outfit defeated the Europa League champions 2-1 in their first-leg and back-to-back wins over the visitors could probably book Arsenal a ticket to the knockout stage with two matches in hand.
Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle United over the weekend saw them dropped to fourth place in the Premier League table, but Mikel Arteta’s side are currently sitting atop their Champions League group with six points, one point ahead of Lens and four points clear of Sevilla and PSV Eindhoven.
Arsenal’s victory over Sevilla two weeks ago means a lot to the English club, thanks to an excellent effort from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus before Nemanja Gudelj scored for the home team but was not enough to stop the Gunners from earning all three points.
Sevilla failed to hold Jesus under control in the second half of the game which saw the Brazilian striker fire a fine finish in the top corner to double Arsenal’s lead in the 53rd minute of play.
Sevilla have managed to avoid losing in three straight domestic matches since their defeat to Arsenal, the Spanish outfit were held to a point by Cadiz and Celta Vigo in La Liga before they thrashed Quintanar 3-0 in the Copa del Rey.
The Europa League champions last eight top-tier European matches away from home record six draws and two losses, while their only last visit to the Emirates Stadium in 2007 resulted in a 3-0 defeat.
Arsenal vs Sevilla Team News;
Arsenal
Captain Martin Odegaard was not in the squad that suffered a defeat at the hands of Newcastle due to a hip injury.
The upcoming contest might come too soon for the Norwegian midfielder, while Thomas Partey is out due to a muscle problem. Emile Smith Rowe is nursing a knee injury, Jurrien Timber is suffering from a knee issue, and Gabriel Jesus is nursing a hamstring crisis, leaving Arteta with fewer options.
Leandro Trossard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Fabio Vieira could possibly force their way into the Gunners squad, while Kai Havertz would benefit from the injury crisis as the manager may likely include him in the starting lineup.
Sevilla;
The Spanish side might also be without the service of Sergio Ramos and Fernando who are currently dealing with calf injury and back problems respectively.
Youssef En-Nesyri can clearly expect a recall over Mariano Diaz at the tip of the Palanganas attack after coming off the bench to score a late equalizer against Celta Vigo, while Dodi Lukebakio is a prospect to join the Moroccan in place of Oliver Torres.
Arsenal vs Sevilla potential lineups:
Arsenal
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Vieira, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
Sevilla
Nyland; Navas, Gudelj, Bade, Acuna; Rakitic, Soumare, Sow; Lukebakio, En-Nesyri, Ocampos
Arsenal vs Sevilla kick-off time, Date and venue
The match between the Gunners and Sevilla is scheduled to be played on Wednesday, 8th of November, at the Emirates Stadium by 9:00 pm (BST).
Prediction
Martin Odegaard’s absence will cost Arsenal much in the midfield but Jorginho and Rice could do much better than expected, while Sevilla will likely fight hard to shock Mikel Arteta’s men.
It is tough to say that Sevilla will snatch all three points at the Emirates as Arsenal are expected to make efforts to book their place in the next round.
Therefore, we predict that Arsenal will see a narrow escape in front of their fans with a 1-0 scoreline.
