Thought I'd put up a match thread a couple of days before the game. We go into this one leading 3-0 on aggregate with the 3 goals being away goals. If we score even one goal in this game then Ostersunds will be left trying to score 4 at the emirates. While the tie should already be over I hope we don't underestimate them and allow them hope of getting back into it. That said on Sunday we have the League Cup final against City and so I expect a weakened team to play on Thursday. Ospina, Bellerin, Chambers, Mustafi, Kolasinac, El Neny, Maitland Niles, Iwobi, Welbeck, maybe one of Mkhi or Ozil and a youth player. I'm expecting a team something like that. Which should be enough to get the required result. Maybe Mustafi will get a rest for Holding. Thoughts on this game?
Looks like Mkhi will play and so will some youth. Chambers, Holding, Niles and Nelson all expected to play. Hopefully we have some experience on the bench but overall even a young team should do well enough not to lose 4-0.
Knowing Wenger he wont bring any experience on the bench and this will be FAR more stressful than it needs to be.
Wenger has confirmed no Ozil (had a couple of days off ill this week) and no Ramsey (not ready yet after injury) for tonight's game. But they should be involved on Sunday. Mkhi and Welbeck expected to play today.
Yeah, he seems to go two or three weeks before he's picked up some virus. Man needs to up his garlic intake
The Gunners have won their previous two home European matches against Swedish opposition, beating IFK Gothenburg in March 1980 and AIK in September 1999. No Swedish side has won an away European match in England since Osters IF beat Spurs in the 1995 Intertoto Cup (D2 L4 since). In European competition, Arsenal have been eliminated from just one of their previous six knockout ties in which they've won the first leg, losing on aggregate to Barcelona in the last 16 of the 2010/11 Champions League. At the Emirates, the Gunners have lost just one of their last 27 matches, winning 22 and drawing four since a 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich last March. Only five English managers have won at the Emirates (Alan Curbishley, Phil Brown, Harry Redknapp, Michael Appleton and Garry Monk), with only Appleton doing so in a non-Premier League match (February 2013, Arsenal 0-1 Blackburn in the FA Cup). Henrikh Mkhitaryan has assisted four goals in his first four Arsenal game, including three in his only previous appearance at the Emirates against Everton. Since the start of the 2015/16 season, only Aritz Aduriz (29) has had a hand in more Europa League goals than Mkhitaryan (14 - 8 goals, 6 assists). Three of the five teams to win on their first visit to the Emirates have done so in a European competition (Schalke, Bayern Munich and Monaco) - the others are West Ham and Hull City.
#AFC team to play Ostersunds: Ospina, Bellerin, Chambers, Holding, Kolasinac, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, Mkhitaryan, Wilshere, Iwobi, Welbeck
Young CB pairing but it'll be good experience for them. Glad to see Kolasinac getting a game. With Wilshere and Mkhi in the team we should have creativity to make enough chances. Just need someone to finish them off. Chance for Welbeck to make an impression or at least regain some fitness. If the score is looking good then we may see Nelson and Nketiah earlier on in the second half. It's probably the last chance for them to get minutes this season.
Hopefully we can get an early goal to settle the tie. Ostersunds already have to have a proper go today if they don't want to go out and if we score a goal I think they'll really throw caution to the wind. It's there big moment as most of these players are unlikely to play a game at this level again, or if they do not many in their careers. I think they are likely to open up a bit and if we are ruthless and good in front ignoring goal I can see us getting a comfortable result. I enjoyed the way Ostersunds played last time so hopefully this'll be a good game.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to BT Sport: “It’s not a formality. We have to show we’re focused. Things are strange in football. You have to be intelligent and focused. “It’s a similar team we played in Ostersund. Most of the team is experienced. This is a competition that the [fringe] players have a good chance to show our quality and they’ll think they might get a position on Sunday [in the League Cup final]." On Ostersund's rise: “It’s a nice story in football – so long as you don't pay the price."
Some messages into the BBC: Daniel: Does Wenger not know this is practically a dead-rubber?! Mental line-up. Gambeano Snitch: Too strong a line-up from Wenger for a game clearly won. Any other situation would be fine but not when you have a final three days later. Mark, Edinburgh: Fairly strong team. Europa League is Wenger's backdoor to next year's Champions League.
Ostersund manager Graham Potter to BT Sport: "It's a wonderful opportunity for us. We're bringing about 5,000 supporters - which is a wonderful reflection on where we've come from. "We need to play well. We understand the quality of the opposition but we'll dream, try our best and hope for a miracle. "We want to try to be positive and offensive. We want to try to attack, we need to score to change the environment. It's a tough challenge for us but a fantastic one."
