Prediction: Standard Liege vs Arsenal Away win
Arsenal will look to build on their first win under interim coach Freddie Ljungberg when they travel to face Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday.
The Gunners just need to avoid defeat to qualify for the knockouts, while Standard must beat the North London side by a heavy margin and also rely on Vitoria beating Eintracht Frankfurt.
Team News
Standard will have to make do without winger Anthony Limbombe who remains sidelined with a knee injury, meanwhile, a late decision will be made over striker Orlando Sa in regards to fitness.
However, Ljungberg faces a selection headache as a number of his star players are unavailable due to injuries his squad has, with the interim coach bringing along the likes of Robbie Burton, Tyreece John-Jules and James Olayinka.
Kieran Tierney (shoulder), Granit Xhaka (concussion), Nicolas Pepe and Rob Holding (both knee) and Hector Bellerin and Dani Ceballos (both hamstring) are all injured.
Head to Head
Arsenal have never failed to beat Standard Liege in their five meetings in the last 26 years.
The two sides met one and other for the first time in a decade earlier this season, with the Gunners coming out 4-0 victors at the Emirates in October.
The closest Standard have come to beating Arsenal was in September 2009 when they lost 3-2 in Belgium. This was the only time in which they had scored a goal against the Gunners.
They will need to overcome their past failures on Thursday if they want to keep their Europa League hopes alive, and what better time to do so than when Arsenal are this woeful?
Recent Form
The hosts are currently third in the Belgian Pro League, eight points behind leaders Club Brugge having lost two league fixtures in quick succession against Gent and Mechelen.
Scoring goals has not been the issue, rather conceding them, as they have netted in every game they’ve played in all competitions since their 4-0 defeat to Thursday’s opponents Arsenal.
The Gunners had been without a win for nine games prior to their success at West Ham on Monday, causing quite the stir amongst fans. During this time, Unai Emery was sacked and Ljungberg was appointed as their interim manager.
Their 2-1 Premier League defeat to Graham Potter’s Brighton highlighted their weaknesses as they lacked leadership and drive, making it easy pickings for an impressive Seagulls side.
Arsenal fans will hope that their seemingly revolutionary second-half performance against West Ham will be enough to give the players the determination to play with pride once more.
Standard Liege Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Bodart; Vojvoda, Laifis, Vanheusden, Gavory; Amallah, Bastien; Lestienne, Carcela, M’Poku; Emond.
Arsenal Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Maitland-Niles, Chambers, David Luiz, Kolasinac; Willock, Guendouzi; Martinelli, Nelson, Saka; Lacazette.
Prediction: Standard Liege vs Arsenal Away win