Arsenal will entertain Napoli at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night looking to get a win in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarterfinal tie. The Gunners suffered a narrow 1-0 loss away at Everton on Saturday which has put a halt to their recent good run across all competitions. The home team can expect another fierce battle in midweek as the Naples based side can be a dangerous proposition on their day.
Unai Emery will opt for a 3-4-1-2 formation and might start with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette up front.
3-4-1-2 Arsenal Predicted Lineup To Face Napoli
Defence
Bernd Leno will likely get the nod to start in goal for the North London side despite failing to keep a clean sheet against the Toffees last weekend. Emery might opt for the same back three that started on Saturday as Nacho Monreal, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, and Shkodran Mustafi look to put on a solid shift in this upcoming midweek European encounter.
Laurent Koscielny is a significant doubt for this game and will be in a race against time to be fit for this clash against Napoli. Except for the loss versus Everton, the Gunners have coped well defensively in their recent matches so Emery will be quietly confident about his side’s chances of securing a shut-out on Thursday night.
Midfield
The Arsenal midfield might be comprised of two workhorses in Matteo Guendouzi and Aaron Ramsey as they are set to feature at the centre of the park while trying to retain possession and dominate the midfield for the home side.
Granit Xhaka is another major doubt for this game after he picked up a groin injury while on international duty with Switzerland.
Sead Kolasinac will lineup on the left-hand side of the Gunners midfield as he looks to cause a few problems for Carlo Ancelotti’s team and create chances for the front players. Ainsley Maitland-Niles will hope to do the same down the right flank after failing to make much of an impact in the loss at Everton.
Attack
Alex Iwobi might play in a free-flowing role while occupying the number 10 position as he looks to use his pace to draw defenders and create space for his teammates in the final third.
The potent striking pair of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could play together up top. They would be expected to make a significant contribution going forward at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.
