Arsenal will entertain BATE Borisov at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night looking to overturn their 1-0 first-leg deficit in front of their home supporters. The Gunners suffered a shock upset away at Belarus last week which was a bitter pill to swallow for anyone associated with the club.
Hence, Unai Emery needs his players to put in a solid display in midweek to secure a route through to the next round of the competition. The North London giants could set-up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Denis Suarez set to feature from the start of the contest.
4-2-3-1 Arsenal Predicted Lineup To Face BATE Borisov
Defence
Bernd Leno will likely keep his place in goal for the Gunners on Thursday while Petr Cech plays back-up to him on Emery’s bench. The central-half pair of Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi might get the nod to start at the middle of the Arsenal defence for this upcoming league clash in the UEFA Europa League.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles could start at right-back as he aims to be productive down the right flank going forward. Sead Kolasinac has been one of Emery’s better players in recent weeks, so he is a nailed-on starter for this Thursday night match.
Midfield
The Gunners are expected to line up with the midfield pair of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira as they look to retain possession in midfield and create some chances in the opposition half. It’s high time for Xhaka to step up and deliver on the pitch as he has been far too inconsistent this season.
The promising trio of Alex Iwobi, Denis Suarez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan could start ahead of them as part of the Gunners attack this week. Iwobi has managed to establish himself as a regular first-team starter at the Emirates this season so a lot will ride on his shoulders if Arsenal are to overturn the first-leg deficit and win this European tie.
Mesut Ozil could be named on the bench and might come on during the clash if required.
Attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will play as the lone forward up top. The Gabonese forward has a terrific goal-scoring record at home so Emery would keep his fingers crossed that he can get maximum productivity from him in the attacking end of the pitch.
