The Gunners look to make up for their wastefulness in Rome when they lock horns with the Portuguese giants in the return leg. Here's a preview for Arsenal vs Benfica.

Arsenal vs Benfica – preview

Arsenal are gearing up for their crucial UEFA Europa League showdown with Benfica, with the Gunners locking horns with the Portuguese giants on Thursday, as usual, for the second leg of their round of 32 tie. Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki in Greece will be the venue for this 12:55 p.m. ET clash, a game Mikel Arteta has hailed as a final.

This is how the Gunners boss described the second leg, with the reasons being obvious. Having lost 1-0 to Man City over the weekend, the north London giants have once again dropped down to 11th in the table, meaning the UEFA Europa League looks to be their only route to Europe.

Aubameyang and Co. are 11 points off of fourth-placed West Ham and are six behind sixth-placed Liverpool. Having crashed out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, Arsenal now find themselves in a position where they must beat the Eagles or they will miss out on Europe altogether.

The match is tied 1-1, which makes things all the more frustrating for Arteta's side as they had several opportunities to kill the game in the first leg. Aubameyang, who is usually their lethal talisman forward, was wasteful in Rome and missed several opportunities to hand the Gunners the win.

Will Arsenal rue their missed chances? The north London giants' recent form suggests they could. After losing only once in nine games since Boxing Day, the Emirates Stadium side have now picked up only one victory from their last five fixtures, losing three and drawing once. The most recent of those losses was the 1-0 downfall at home to Man City, with the Gunners conceding inside the first 90 seconds.

Benfica haven't fared all that well this season either. Jorge Jesus' men were poor in the first leg, with their goal coming courtesy of a penalty after Emile Smith Rowe was judged to have handled the ball inside the box. The Portuguese giants are unbeaten in their last six outings but haven't won any of their last three. In fact, the Eagles boast only three victories from their last 11 matches and have only won once in their last six away ties. In their domestic top-flight, the Primeira Liga outfit are four points behind the third and last UCL spot, meaning just like Arsenal, this competition is do or die for their hopes of making UEFA's premier club competition.

Team news

Arsenal: Thomas Partey will undergo a late test to determine his fitness but is more likely to miss out on the second leg. Rob Holding has been ruled out after picking up a head injury in the 1-0 loss to Man City. Arteta is expected to make several changed from the weekend lineup, with David Luiz, Gabriel, Ceballos, and Smith Rowe all expected to return to the starting XI.

Benfica: The visitors could return to the 4-4-2 formation as they need an away goal in order to stand a chance of progressing. Jardel and Andre Almeida unfortunately remain sidelined but Julian Weigl and Pizzi are set to return to the lineup.

Key stats

  • Although this game is being held in Greece, this counts as the home leg for Arsenal.

  • The Gunners have won all but one of their last six home encounters with Portuguese clubs (D1), scoring a whopping 20 times.

  • The last time Benfica beat the north London giants away from home was at Highbury in the European Cup last 16 in 1991-92.

Broadcast listings

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Arsenal 3 - 2 Benfica

February 25, 2021 12:55pmStadio Georgios Karaiskáki (Pireás (Piraeus))

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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