Match preview of Arsenal's Europa League round of 32 second leg tie against Benfica.
UEFA Europa League
Arsenal today faceoff with Benfica in round two of the tie at 17:55 GMT. The first leg ended 1-1 in Italy which was the makeshift home venue of Benfica.
This game would’ve been played at the Emirates however, due to Coronavirus regulations the game will be played in Greece.
Saka’s equalizer last week gave the Gunners a slight advantage in the form of an away goal. This means as long as Arsenal keep a clean sheet they’d progress to the next round even if the game ends 0-0.
Should Arsenal concede two or more goals they will have lost the away goal advantage and would have to win the game, a 2-2 or 3-3 draw would eliminate Arsenal.
Rob Holding will miss out on today’s game having suffered a concussion during the 1-0 defeat to Man City. Good news is Thomas Partey has travelled with the squad and is available for selection after recovering from his thigh injury and could be named in the starting lineup to boost the lineup’s strength.
Arteta will definetely want to field his strongest lineup that will get him a win to progress to the next stage of the competition.
Predicted starting lineup to face Benfica
Arsenal have won on each of their previous two visits to Greece, both against, Olympiakos, in the UEFA Champions League in December 2015 and the UEFA Europa League in February 2020.
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