Arsenal will lock horns with Olympiacos at Karaiskaki Stadium on Thursday night, hoping to pick up a win on their travels. The Gunners will be heading into the contest on the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw with Burnley, whereas the Thrylos recorded a 3-0 win over Lamia earlier his week.
Mikel Arteta will probably opt for the 4-2-3-1 formation with several tweaks from the last game. Alexandre Lacazette might get the nod over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whereas Gabriel looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
4-2-3-1 Arsenal Predicted Lineup Vs Olympiacos
Defence
Bernd Leno will continue to operate in between the sticks for the upcoming away encounter. The German shot-stopper ended up conceding a goal against the Clarets due to an unfortunate defensive error; however, he’ll be hoping to secure a clean sheet this time.
Gabriel will replace Pablo Mari to form the centre-half partnership with David Luiz at the heart of Arsenal’s backline.
Kieran Tierney is a guaranteed starter at the left-back position, whereas Cedric Soares will replace Calum Chambers on the other flank as the right-back. The duo would be looking to stretch the opposition backline and create meaningful chances for the front-men.
Midfield
Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos will fulfil the holding midfield positions, with the former occupying a more defensive role. Granit Xhaka made a terrible mistake against Burnley last week as he gifted Chris Wood the equalising goal; however, he’ll be hoping to put up a strong performance and turn things around on Thursday.
Martin Odegaard will slot into the attacking midfield role.
Emile Smith Rowe, who picked up a hip injury against Leicester City, is expected to be back for the match against Olympiacos; however, there hasn’t been any concrete update on the situation yet.
“Emile was substituted just before half time at Leicester City last Sunday with discomfort in his hip. Assessments and scans this week have shown that it is not a significant injury.” –Arsenal’s official website stated.
Odegaard will be accompanied by Willian and Bukayo Saka on either side, playing on the left and right-wing, respectively. The latter has been in fine form lately, often carrying most of his side’s creative and goal-scoring burdens, and he’d raring to go into the contest.
Attack
Alexandre Lacazette will lead the line for the visitors against Olympiacos. The French striker will fancy his chances of finding the back of the net when he faces off against the Olympiacos defence that has kept just one clean sheet in their last five matches across all competitions.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will have to settle for a place on the bench, but he might be called upon in the latter stages of the game if needed.
