Arsenal will entertain Vitoria SC at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night hoping to make it three wins out of three matches in the UEFA Europa League this season. However, the Gunners will come into this clash at the back of a 1-0 defeat away at Sheffield United.
Unai Emery will opt for a 4-2-3-1 and make a whole host of changes to his team for this European encounter at North London. The Arsenal boss will expect a positive response from his players as Vitoria are the heavy underdogs heading into this fixture.
4-2-3-1 Arsenal Predicted Lineup To Face Vitoria SC
Defence
Emiliano Martínez might get another opportunity to operate in between the sticks for the North London outfit as Bernd Leno is expected to be rested against Vitoria in midweek. The centre-back pair of Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi could lineup at the heart of the Gunners backline as they look to build on their impressive defensive performance versus Standard Liege earlier this month. Both defenders will be desperate to do well so that they can secure a regular starting berth at the Emirates Stadium.
Hector Bellerin might be given the nod to start at right-back so that the Spaniard can get some minutes under his belt. Kieran Tierney will likely play on the other side in the left-back position. Emery’s men are yet to concede a single goal in the UEFA Europa League this season. Thus, they will be confident about their chances of keeping another clean sheet at the back on Thursday night.
Midfield
Lucas Torreira and Dani Ceballos will probably feature as the holding midfielders as they look to establish the home’s side dominance at the centre of the park. Both players need to be positive with their passing so that they can orchestrate some decent goal-scoring opportunities for the front players.
The talented trio of Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles linked up well with each other during their 4-0 over Standard Liege a few weeks ago. So they will hope to do the same versus Ivo Vieira’s players in midweek. However, Willock did not enjoy playing as an advanced midfielder against Sheffield United on Monday night. Therefore, Emery should rethink his strategy if he intends to do the same again later this week.
Attack
Gabriel Martinelli has made a name for himself in the Europa League this season having scored two goals in the competition thus far. The Arsenal whizkid might get another chance to shine when he laces up to lead the charge for the Gunners against Vitoria on Thursday.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be rested in midweek with a tricky home encounter versus Crystal Palace coming up next weekend.
