Arsenal are scheduled to face Vitoria on the road in Wednesday’s Europa League group stage encounter. The Gunners possess a 100 percent record after the opening three games in the group and a victory would pretty much seal their progress to the knockouts with two games to play.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Predicted Lineup:
Unai Emery has generally preferred to play different defensive lineups for the league and Cup competitions. The Spanish tactician is expected to pick the same backline from the recent League Cup fourth round defeat at the hands of Liverpool.
In the midfield, Lucas Torreira may continue to command a starting spot, given he has been least used when compared to Matteo Guendouzi and Granit Xhaka – though the latter has not travelled with the team altogether. Alongside the Uruguayan, there could be starts for Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Joe Willock. Willock should get the nod for the advanced midfield position.
In the attack, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang won’t feature after being excluded from the travelling squad. There is the temptation to play Alexandre Lacazette upfront but Emery may prefer to go with the young Gabriel Martinelli, who has been superb in the Cup competitions with seven goals from four starts.
On the flanks, there could be starts for Emile Smith Rowe and Nicolas Pepe. Pepe bagged a stupendous brace in the comeback win over Vitoria last month despite playing only 18 minutes. He may start from the off on Wednesday after being an unused substitute at the weekend.
How Arsenal will line up vs Vitoria
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