It can certainly be said without hyperbole that should Arsenal FC lose at home to Bate Borisov Thursday night, it would be the worst European loss in their history. The Belarusian champions, a club that has just a tiny fraction of the resources and finance that Arsenal possesses, come in up 1-0 on aggregate and with that distinctive away goal disadvantage.
Domestically, the Gunners are seeing the race for a top four finish become much more competitive, so perhaps winning the Europa League tournament will be the easier and more manageable method for getting back into Champions League next season.
Arsenal’s main rivals for a top four slot, Manchester United, are surging right now while their main obstacle to European glory, Chelsea, are currently looking rather shambolic.
Speaking of shambles, it’s the perfect way to describe Arsenal’s showing in the reverse fixture of this one. They will need to wake up big time when they host Bate on Thursday night.
The Bank Arsenal FC Starting XI Prediction (4-3-3) vs Bate Borisov (UEFA Europa League Round of 32)
Attacking Players: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alex Iwobi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Midfielders: Lucas Torreira, Aaron Ramsey, Denis Suarez
Defenders: Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Laurent Koscielny, Sead Kolasinac
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
Arsenal FC vs Bate Borisov UEL Round of 32 FYIs
Kickoff: Thursday, February 21, 5:55pm, Emirates Stadium
Arsenal Injury Report: go to this link
Odds to qualify for the round of 16 via Betfair: Arsenal 2/9, Bate Borisov 27/10
Odds via Bet365 to win UEL tournament: Chelsea 4/1, Arsenal 6/1, Napoli 6/1, Inter 10/1, Sevilla 12/1
Prediction: Arsenal 4, Bate 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.