Arsenal vs Qarabag Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Arsenal:
Cech; Jenkinson, Sokratis, Koscielny, Maitland-Niles; Elneny, Guendouzi; Willock, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Nketiah
Qarabag:
Vagner; Medvedev, Sadiqov, Rzezniczak, Guerrier; Qarayev, Michel; Madatov, Ozobic, Zoubir; Abdullayev
Arsenal are in excellent form at the moment. On Saturday they beat Huddersfield with 1:0 and extend their unbeaten run to 21 games in all competitions, winning 16 of them. The atmosphere in the squad is positive, while the players confidence is high. The situation in Group E is clear - Arsenal will finish first regardless of the result here. The Gunners have 13 points, three more than second-placed Sporting. The situation is decided as Arsenal saw off Sporting 1:0 on aggregate in their double headers in the third and fourth round. Both Vorskla Poltava and Qarabag have collected just three points so far and they will try to avoid the bottom of the table. Considering this fact, manager Unai Emery will probably rest the majority of his first-team regulars. That was the case on the previous match when Arsenal played against Vorskla Poltava in Ukraine. Arsenal won 3:0 on that game thanks to the goals scored by Smith-Rowe, Ramsey and Willock. Emery also has some injury worries. Defender Rob Holding suffered knee ligament injury against Manchester United one week ago. He faces at least six months on the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligaments following a collision with Rashford. This is a big handicap for Emery. Danny Welbeck is also a long-term injury victim. Mesut Ozil could play having missed the last three games.
Qarabag have lost four of the previous five matches in the UEFA Europa League, winning only against Vorskla Poltava. The victory did come in their most recent away trip. The actual Azerbaijan champions lost the remaining three games. Qarabag need points from this match to avoid the bottom place in the group as they have an inferior goal difference to the Ukrainian side. Nevertheless, it is quite certain they can't reach the knock-out stage. There is little optimism ahead of their trip to England. The history is against them as they have lost all five of their meetings with English teams in all competitions, by an aggregate score of 1:17. Coach Gurban Gurbanov is well aware of that and must find a proper tactic. It is good that Arsenal key players, like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette or Henrikh Mkhitaryan, won't play on this match. Gurbanov has most of his players available, only Innocent Emeghara is sidelined through injury. Araz Abdullayev will probably lead the attack, with Mahir Madatov, Filip Ozobic and Abdellah Zoubir behind him.
Arsenal vs Qarabag Prediction:
I expect a low scoring match at the Emirats. The key reason for my pick is connect with Arsenal. The Gunners boss Unai Emery will rest his key players, including the best strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. Qarabag, meanwhile, have scored just two goals on the previous five group matches. Both teams have little to play for, so I expect maximum three goals here.
Arsenal vs Qarabag Pick: Under 3.5 goals
Possible starting lineups:
Arsenal:
Cech; Jenkinson, Sokratis, Koscielny, Maitland-Niles; Elneny, Guendouzi; Willock, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Nketiah
Qarabag:
Vagner; Medvedev, Sadiqov, Rzezniczak, Guerrier; Qarayev, Michel; Madatov, Ozobic, Zoubir; Abdullayev
Arsenal are in excellent form at the moment. On Saturday they beat Huddersfield with 1:0 and extend their unbeaten run to 21 games in all competitions, winning 16 of them. The atmosphere in the squad is positive, while the players confidence is high. The situation in Group E is clear - Arsenal will finish first regardless of the result here. The Gunners have 13 points, three more than second-placed Sporting. The situation is decided as Arsenal saw off Sporting 1:0 on aggregate in their double headers in the third and fourth round. Both Vorskla Poltava and Qarabag have collected just three points so far and they will try to avoid the bottom of the table. Considering this fact, manager Unai Emery will probably rest the majority of his first-team regulars. That was the case on the previous match when Arsenal played against Vorskla Poltava in Ukraine. Arsenal won 3:0 on that game thanks to the goals scored by Smith-Rowe, Ramsey and Willock. Emery also has some injury worries. Defender Rob Holding suffered knee ligament injury against Manchester United one week ago. He faces at least six months on the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligaments following a collision with Rashford. This is a big handicap for Emery. Danny Welbeck is also a long-term injury victim. Mesut Ozil could play having missed the last three games.
Qarabag have lost four of the previous five matches in the UEFA Europa League, winning only against Vorskla Poltava. The victory did come in their most recent away trip. The actual Azerbaijan champions lost the remaining three games. Qarabag need points from this match to avoid the bottom place in the group as they have an inferior goal difference to the Ukrainian side. Nevertheless, it is quite certain they can't reach the knock-out stage. There is little optimism ahead of their trip to England. The history is against them as they have lost all five of their meetings with English teams in all competitions, by an aggregate score of 1:17. Coach Gurban Gurbanov is well aware of that and must find a proper tactic. It is good that Arsenal key players, like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette or Henrikh Mkhitaryan, won't play on this match. Gurbanov has most of his players available, only Innocent Emeghara is sidelined through injury. Araz Abdullayev will probably lead the attack, with Mahir Madatov, Filip Ozobic and Abdellah Zoubir behind him.
Arsenal vs Qarabag Prediction:
I expect a low scoring match at the Emirats. The key reason for my pick is connect with Arsenal. The Gunners boss Unai Emery will rest his key players, including the best strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. Qarabag, meanwhile, have scored just two goals on the previous five group matches. Both teams have little to play for, so I expect maximum three goals here.
Arsenal vs Qarabag Pick: Under 3.5 goals
