How to approach tonight’s Europa League clash with Olympiakos

Martin Odegaard

How to approach tonight’s Europa League clash with Olympiakos

By Jacob Newbury

Usually the week following a big win over North London rivals Tottenham would be widely celebrated, but the fall out from Mikel Arteta dropping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still lingers in the air. 

Nevertheless, the focus should be on perhaps the Gunners’ most important game of the season so far. While it is not the biggest, the significance is monumental. With top-four aspirations appearing bleak, the UEFA Europa League should be top of the boss’ priority list. 

And with a handy 3-1 advantage over Olympiakos going into the second leg at the Emirates, it should be a relatively comfortable evening for Arsenal. 

But underestimate the Greek side at your peril. Pedro Martins’ men are a massive 16 points clear in their domestic league and will be expected to throw the kitchen sink at tonight’s fixture.

Arteta’s pre-match comments showed he is fully aware of the threats they carry. 

"From what I've seen from Olympiakos and the amount of games they have won in the last minutes and the belief that they have in that team, it will be tough," Arteta said. "They will try to put us under pressure, so there is still a lot to play for." 


All or nothing

The price is too large to pay for an Arsenal exit at this stage. So nothing short of Arsenal’s strongest side should be fielded. And yes, this means putting Aubameyang straight back into the fold. 

Fortunately for Arsenal’s faithful, the situation looks to have been solved - at least according to the gaffer.

"Everybody has to obviously perform at the highest level to earn their place in the team," said Arteta.

"There is no exception [with Aubameyang] and we will try to put a really competitive team out to try to win again.

"It was dealt with on the day, it's been resolved in a really positive way and we move on."

Mikel Arteta

It also means selecting pretty much the same XI that featured in the first tie in Greece, albeit with maybe a couple of alterations.

One of these changes from the first leg should be putting Emile Smith Rowe into the side. The 20-year-old forward’s confidence could not be higher after receiving numerous plaudits from multiple pundits following his display against Spurs. 

One of these admirers was former England captain Rio Ferdinand, who predicts a “very bright future” for the youngster, who received a call-up to the England U21 squad this week. Premier League’s record goalscorer Alan Shearer described his performance as “absolutely outstanding”. A couple of decent references, there. 

Arteta should put him ahead of Willian for tonight’s clash. Imagine an attacking trio of Smith Rowe, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka playing in behind Aubameyang - it could offer a glimpse into the Gunners’ future.

Unfortunately, Saka’s potential hamstring injury may prevent this for now, which should ensure Smith Rowe’s spot in the starting line-up.


Focus on Europe, not league

All indications from Arteta though suggest a few more than the one forced change. While Premier League fixtures against West Ham United and Liverpool follow tonight’s game, it would be a mistake to look past Olympiakos.

"We look at all the minutes everybody has played," he added. "It’s true that we have some players with significant loads, but our priority is to win these next two games.

"It is a really important game for us. Nothing has been decided - there is still another 90 minutes at least to play for and we know it is going to be tough and everyone has to be ready.

"We have the opportunity to make changes, we have five substitutions, so we will decide the best team to try to beat them."

If this is the case, then getting off to a positive start at the Emirates is a must. Any early goal for the visitors may cause some uncertainty amongst the players, and while the Greek side need to score at least three goals, memories of last season’s encounter may come back to haunt Arteta’s team.

And Olympiakos will come into the match knowing cracks can open when the Gunners are under pressure. 

While they might have a pitiful record in England, the two victories they have secured in 18 games have come against Arsenal. 

On the bright side for the Gunners, however, is that they have never lost three successive matches against a European side. A positive omen for Arteta’s men.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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