In-form Arsenal eye spot in Europa League knockout
PARIS:UNAI Emery’s Arsenal head into Thursday’s clash with Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates bidding for a place in the Europa League knockout stage, buoyed by an impressive display in their draw against Premier League title hopefuls Liverpool.
The Gunners are top of Group E having won all three of their matches so far, and have looked revitalised in the early stages of the post-arsene Wenger era.
A second straight victory over Portuguese giants Sporting would extend their unbeaten run to 15 matches in all competitions.
Back-to-back defeats by Manchester City and Chelsea at the start of the campaign had left some onlookers questioning whether Arsenal could compete with stronger opposition, but close-season signing Bernd Leno said Saturday’s performance had proved a point. “I think we saw that we can play our way against big teams,” the German goalkeeper told the club’s website.
“We controlled Liverpool. We played out from the back. It was not just lucky or lucky things to create from. We played the ball with passes from behind and that’s the way we want to play.”
CHELSEA CONFIDENT
Chelsea will also book a ticket for the last 32 with victory over BATE Borisov in Belarus, after seeing Alvaro Morata make it five goals in six games in their win over Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Maurizio Sarri’s side are unbeaten since a 2-0 Community Shield loss to Man City in August, and have scored 18 goals over their last six outings. They top Group L with nine points and will qualify for the last 32 with a win.
“I have started scoring again for two weeks and now I am happy, the team plays good and I don’t need to think about scoring more goals than other players,” Morata told Chelsea’s website, after breaking a terrible run of form that saw him net just four times in his previous 31 matches.
Elsewhere, five-time winners Sevilla travel to Turkish side Akhisar Genclik Spor looking to strengthen their grip on top spot of Group J, while Gennaro Gattuso’s AC Milan will look to avenge their defeat by Real Betis.