Arsenal v. Olympiacos preview: sealing the deal

Coming into a return leg at home up 1-0 on aggregate with that away goal is really nice, isn’t it? That’s the situation that Arsenal find themselves in ahead of Thursday’s Europa League Round of 32 second leg against Olympiacos at the Emirates. The first leg was an up-and-down affair, with both sides controlling the match for spells, but it was Alexandre Lacazette’s 81st minute, against the run of play goal that was the difference.

Arsenal will be without Sead Kolasinac, who appears to be out for a while with a shoulder injury. Kieran Tierney and Cedric Soares are training, but not fully; I’d wager they are still at least two weeks out. Calum Chambers is out for the season.

The visitors will be without Ruben Semedo, whose yellow card in the first leg earned him a suspension for accumulation.

While a win on Thursday is by no means guaranteed, not managing a result and crashing out of the Europa League competition would be a massive disappointment for Arsenal. The Gunners are on a 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions, and fortunately, Olympiacos do not travel well in Europe. They’ve lost their last seven consecutive Champions League away fixtures. The Gunners should be able to take care of business.

WHAT: Arsenal vs. Olympiacos
WHERE: Emirates Stadium
WHEN: Thursday, February 27th 12 PM PT | 3 PM ET | 8 PM BT
US TV: TUDN USA. Streaming on B/R Live ($$$).

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