Arsenal will be hosting Norway club Molde on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the game, the availability of one key senior defender is in doubt.
The North London club did well on Sunday to come away with all three points from Old Trafford. A penalty from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was enough to secure the win, their first in over a decade in the Premier League at Manchester United’s home ground.
Ahead of the Molde game (for the starting XI prediction go here), there is one important player who may not be playing and that is David Luiz. The Brazilian centre back suffered a thigh injury, and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for this game or not.
In the injury department, things are starting to look better for the Gunners who only have Pablo Mari, Gabriel Martinelli and Calum Chambers as the long-term absentees. The return of Rob Holding against United gave the defence a real boost.
There will be a lot of rotation for this game, given that the Emirates club will be hosting Aston Villa on Sunday. The squad will be high on confidence after getting the win over their rivals on Sunday. It is these kinds of results that can set the tone for the entire season and help in the London club’s quest to get back into the Champions League.
It also helps that they are already through three of their toughest fixtures.
That doesn’t necessarily make the upcoming fixtures any easier, but they will now have the belief that they can get a result. A win on Sunday was crucial, also to make up for the defeat against Leicester City, which was quite disappointing.
Arsenal can also cement their place on top of Group B in the Europa League if they are able to beat Molde. They would have three wins putting them three points clear of their nearest rival. Mikel Arteta will be hoping that a more youthful side can get the job done in the same manner as they did against Dundalk. The Gunners need to keep their good run of form going and make the most of it.