Arsenal travel to Russia to take on CSKA Moscow in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash.
The North London club secured a 4-1 win in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium but will need to guard against complacency on the road, as they’ve had mixed results this season.
Arsene Wenger‘s side have managed just two wins from their last nine games in all competitions, while having never beaten a Russian side away from home, so they can’t take anything for granted.
David Ospina, who is Arsenal’s first-choice between the sticks for European encounters, has been ruled out with injury for a couple of weeks, which should see Petr Cech registering his third appearance in the competition this season.
In defence, Wenger is likely to opt for his Hector Bellerin at right-back and Nacho Monreal at left-back. Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi should start at the heart of the defence.
Wenger recently chose to rest Koscielny in the Premier League to keep him fresh for Europe.
In midfield, Granit Xhaka is out with flu so Mohamed Elneny can be relied upon to start in the middle of the park. Alongside the Egyptian, I’m backing Jack Wilshere to start due to his combative qualities in addition to his creativity. I believe he’s a better option in midfield than Aaron Ramsey.
With Henrikh Mkhitaryan out with injury, we should see Danny Welbeck coming in for the Armenian on the left-wing after his man-of-the-match performance against Southampton.
Ramsey and Mesut Ozil are certain to feature for Arsenal in a more advanced role, playing in the number 10 and right-wing positions respectively.
Alexandre Lacazette returned from injury to score twice against CSKA in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final meeting and will be hoping to continue this brilliant run in Moscow.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains ineligible to play in the competition owing to his former side Borussia Dortmund’s involvement this season.
Predicted Arsenal lineup (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Mohamed Elneny, Jack Wilshere; Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck; Alexandre Lacazette.