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Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal will on Thursday night battle AC Milan in the Europa League round of 16 first leg clash at the San Siro stadium in Italy.
Wenger’s men, who have lost five of their last six matches, including the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City and the Premier League 2-1 lost to Brighton on Sunday, will hope to bounce back to winning ways as they look forward to clash with the Italian giants.
Wenger’s January recruit, Aubameyang will not face his former side, Milan and with Lacazette sidelined with a knee issue, the Gunners need their midfielders to decide the flow of the game.
Nacho Monreal is also sidelined with a hamstring, while Mkhitaryan is eligible to play for Arsenal despite featuring for Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League.
However, Milan who have impressed since the appointment of Gennaro Gattuso as manager, are unbeaten in their previous 13 games and have recorded six consecutive wins in all competitions.
Gattuso has a fully fit squad of first-team players and most likely will feature a strong lineup against Arsenal.
Andre Silva and Cutrone are the stand out players for Milan. Silva has scored six goals in the Europa league, one short of the top scorer and will look to add to his impressive 102 minutes per goal statistic. Cutrone also has four goals and an assist in the competition.
The Europa league looks like the only gateway for Milan and Arsenal to be back at UEFA Champions League.
AC Milan potential starting XI (4-3-3):
GK: Donnarumma
Def: Rodriguez, Zapata, Bonucci, Calabria
Mid: Bonaventura, Biglia, Kessie
Att: Silva, Cutrone, Suso
Arsenal potential starting XI (4-2-3-1):
Gk: Ospina
Def: Kolasinac, Koscielny, Mustafi, Bellerin
Def. Mid: Xhaka, Wilshere
Att. Mid: Ramsey, Ozil, Mkhitaryan
St: Welbeck
The match is scheduled for 7:00pm Nigeria time.
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