In a rare Wednesday dose of Europa League action, Arsenal visit Vitoria Guimaraes at Stadio D. Afonso Henriques.
Vitoria Guimaraes need a win to keep their qualification hopes alive, whereas Arsenal can qualify for the knockouts with a win which would be confirmed if Eintracht Frankfurt beats Standard Liege on Thursday.
Team news
Vitoria Guimaraes have no fresh injury concerns as Marcus Edwards looks to start after scoring at the Emirates Stadium a fortnight ago against the Gunners.
Arsenal could recall Granit Xhaka after he was rested in their last two games following an outburst of frustration at fans ten days ago, during their 2-2 league draw with Crystal Palace.
Reiss Nelson could also feature after returning from a knee injury ahead of schedule.
Stat Attack
- This is the second meeting between these teams in all competitions after Arsenal ran out 3-2 home winners a fortnight ago.
- Arsenal have lost two of their last three away trips against Portuguese opposition, conceding twice in both defeats against Porto and Braga respectively. (W1, L2)
- Vitoria have won just one of eight previous meetings with English opposition in all competitions, beating Aston Villa in September 1983 (W1. D3, L4).
Prediction
Arsenal need to start raising their game because they have blew leads for three consecutive games now, which is a concern given Vitoria’s fast start at the Emirates and their poor away form against Portuguese opposition.
I therefore am expecting a tough game for the Gunners but they should be capable of getting a draw here.
Prediction: Vitoria Guimaraes 1-1 Arsenal
Result: Vitoria Guimaraes 1-1 Arsenal
Leave a Reply