The Gunners are currently riding high after having dispatched Liverpool in the Premier League last weekend. They will hope to take that momentum to Norway to face Bodo Glimt.
Despite Bodo Glimt being much further along in their domestic season, Arsenal finished stronger when the two sides met last week. It was a comfortable victory for Mikel Arteta’s men, with a 3-0 score line. The result maintained Arsenal’s perfect start in the Europa League’s Group A.
Arsenal can rubber-stamp their passport to the Europa League knockout stages with a victory in Norway here. You’d be a brave person to bet against The Gunners this season. They have suffered defeat just once during the 2022/23 season calendar, across all competitions.
Arsenal at Bodo Glimt FYIs
Kick Off: Thurs, Oct 13, 2022, at 5.45 pm UK at Aspmyra Stadion
Competition: UEL Group A, Matchday 4 of 6
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction: Go Here
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple
UEL Group Standings: Bodo Glimt: 2nd, 4pts Arsenal 1st, 6pts
Team News
The North Londoners don’t have a lot of injuries, but the ones they have come with lengthy layoffs attached to them.
Let’s look at the latest comments from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta concerning his injured trio.
Emile Smith-Rowe (Groin)
“It is very difficult to give a timeline. It depends on the first process, how the bones heal, how was his first reaction, his improvement and how he’s adapting. We need to go step by step.” [Sep. 30]
Oleksandr Zinchenko (Calf)
“He’s had another muscle injury. Let’s see how it evolves in the next few days” [Oct 09]
Mohamed Elneny (Thigh)
“With Mo, it’s probably a little bit easier, and we are talking months.” [Sep 02]
It is not a terrible situation for The Gunners, and Arteta will be thankful he has plenty of alternatives, for all three players.
Stuey’s Two Cents
The improvement in Arsenal over the last 12-16 months has been phenomenal. They have gone from a toothless team, with no real stomach for the fight, to a genuine title contender. They remind me of the Liverpool side from a few years ago in that they are building something special at the Emirates.
Bodo Glimt has bigger fish to fry than the Europa League. The battle for second place in the Eliteserien is very close, with three sides sitting on 47 points, with just a handful of matches to go. I suspect that qualifying for next year’s Europa League will take precedence, for them, over any meaningful run in this year’s competition.
Stuart Kavanagh is a journalist currently residing in Broken Hill, Australia. He writes for the Barrier Truth newspaper, along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, He co-hosts the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast and contributes at edgeofthecrowd.com when time permits. He is also the Media & Communications Director at the Newosis Mental Health Foundation. You can find more about what the Newosis Mental Health Foundation is about here.
Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.