BATE vs Arsenal LIVE: Team news CONFIRMED, Europa League updates, Lacazette starts

BATE Borisov vs Arsenal: Europa League latest score, goals and updates

  • BATE Borisov and Arsenal’s only previous encounter came last season
  • The Gunners both games, scoring 10 goals and conceding only two
  • Arsenal were one of seven teams to remain unbeaten in this season’s Europa League
  • BATE have lost all three of their previous home games against English clubs in European competition

BATE vs ARSENAL

Arsenal XI: Cech, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Kolasinac, Mkhitaryan, Lacazette, Iwobi

BATE Borisov XI: Shcherbitski, Filipovic, Rios, Filipenko, Volkov, Dragun, Hleb, Baga, Skavysh, Stasevich, Milic

Twitter round-up

Scott: Why is Alex Iwobi always starting? Don’t get me wrong he’s good but he plays loads of games, I would prefer Denis Suarez in there to give him some playing time but it don’t matter just get the win!

Connor: How can Mesut Ozil be left out again!? It’s becoming a joke to be honest. Highest paid player at the club and he can’t even get in the squad now. Yes he’s had many bad performances but quite frankly it’s a bit unfair now.

Cole: Bring Mesut Ozil back, he created the most chances last season along with Jack Wilshire who’s left and Aaron Ramsey who’s leaving. Start Aubameyang since he’s our top scorer this season and definitely start Lucas Torreira since he’s our best player defensively!

Don’t worry folks, I’ll be addressing this Mesut Ozil situation very shortly. However, I think we’d need another six weeks to get to the bottom of it!

The starting XI…

16:50: Blimey, I’ve barely got my feet under the table and Arsenal have announced their starting XI.

I’ll go over it in detail shortly but the headline news is that Alexandre Lacazette spearheads the attack and Petr Cech returns between the sticks.

BATE Borisov XI: Shcherbitski, Filipovic, Rios, Filipenko, Volkov, Dragun, Hleb, Baga, Skavysh, Stasevich, Milic.

Subs: Chichkan, Bessmertny, Yablonski, Berezkin, Simovic, Moukam, Dubajic.

Arsenal XI: Cech, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Kolasinac, Mkhitaryan, Lacazette, Iwobi.

Subs: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Elneny, Torreira, Aubameyang, Suarez, Nketiah.

Afternoon…

16:45: Is it that stage of the season already?!

Funny, it feels like only last season I was blogging about a Europa League clash between these two sides.

Oh, it was. And the Gunners side won both games, scoring 10 goals and conceding only two.

Should be a walkover right? Stranger things have happened in this funny competition.

Ready for the team news and line-ups?

BATE vs ARSENAL

Arsenal are without Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey for the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 clash with BATE Borisov.

Neither player travelled to Belarus, with Ozil still feeling the effects of illness and Ramsey missing training during the week with a knee complaint.

Granit Xhaka (groin) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (illness) are back but Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Danny Welbeck, Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding remain sidelined.

Arsenal squad: Leno, Cech, Jenkinson, Lichtsteiner, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal, Kolasinac, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Elneny, Torreira, Guendouzi, Iwobi, Suarez, Mkhitaryan, Lacazette, Aubameyang, Nketiah.

source: express.co.uk