Arsenal lock horns with Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica tonight (Thursday) for the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final.
Mikel Arteta’s side are currently going through a tough period and have miserably underperformed in the Premier League this season.
Following early elimination from the FA Cup and with no real hopes of pushing for a top six finish in the league, Europa League remains the only hope for Gunners fans in their bid to qualify for European football next season.
It essentially means this will be a must-win encounter, not just for the club but also for Arteta, whose future remains uncertain following poor performances by his side.
Villarreal will be hoping to inflict further misery on the north London giants, with their head coach Unai Emery hoping to settle the scores after a turbulent end to his time at the Emirates.
The Spanish giants, though, are going through a tough time of their own, having slipped to three defeats in their last five matches – a run of result that has allowed Real Sociedad and Real Betis to take the lead in the race of the top six in La Liga.
Villarreal Vs Arsenal Lineup
Villarreal XI (4-4-2): Rulli, Foyth, Albiol, Torres, Alfonso, Parejo, Capoue, Trigueros, Moreno, Paco Alcácer, Chukwueze
Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Leno, Chambers, Holding, Marí, S. Rowe, Ceballos, Thomas, Xhaka, Saka, Ødegaard, Pépé
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Kick off is at 20:00 (GMT +1).
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
