Arsenal v Napoli: Preview and possible line-ups

Olivia Gidman 6 years ago 6.7k |

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Arsenal v Napoli: Preview and possible line-ups. AFP/EFE

We look ahead to the first round of the Europa League quarter-final between Arsenal and Napoli, from the Emirates Stadium!

FT

Playoffs. Quarter-finals

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal

Sokratis comes back from suspension to be available for Arsenal on Thursday night. Other concerns include Granit Xhaka and Laurent Koscielny who are both out injured and missed the Everton game. Emery started that game with Ramsey and Aubameyang but both are likely to make the starting line-up against Napoli. Torreira, Mustafi, Sokratis and Lichtsteiner all have experience of playing the Italian side in Serie A.

Napoli

Kalidou Koulibaly and Maksimovic will be up there for starting contention for Ancelotti, after they both missed the last Europa League match through suspension. Insigne and Ghoulam both return to the squad, a boost for the Italian side as the former has 13 goals this season. Ospina, while eligible to play against his former club, is ruled out through a head injury sustained last month. Other injury concerns include Diawara and Albiol.

MANAGERS' THOUGHTS

Unai Emery

"Some players will be injured, some suspended, but now we can choose from them all to have a big performance for the match tomorrow.

"Our focus is the match and our focus to take confidence, to take performance, and being together. We want to be calm when the bad results come because we are in our way.

"A few months ago, we had this moment like now, but now we are in a good way. But each match is going to be very important in the Europa League tomorrow and also in the Premier League.

"Napoli has a big history like us. Now they are second in the table after Juventus and making a big difference with other important teams.

"They are playing very well. They have come from the Champions League but from a strong group with Liverpool. They were very competitive in this group. I know it’s going to be very difficult for us but we have confidence."

On Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang...

"Yes but the first reason [he was benched] is because he had a small problem and he has taken antibiotics for his illness. That’s the main reason he didn’t start those two matches. For tomorrow, he’s getting better and can start or can play after.

Carlo Ancelotti

“Tomorrow's game doesn't have to be decisive, but it will have an effect on the outcome of this tie.

“There's no bad feeling; rather an awareness that in our last two games we haven't performed well, but this doesn't concern me.

“We must be clear about what we have to do in games. The team must know exactly when they need to defend and attack. We wouldn't be here if we weren't ready for this game."