Qarabag v Arsenal preview: Henrikh Mkhitaryan misses out on Europa League clash in Baku
Friday 5 October 2018 07:11, UK
Arsenal will be without Henrikh Mkhitaryan when they face Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday (kick-off 5.55pm BST) after the club opted against applying for a special work permit.
Armenian nationals have been banned from entering Azerbaijan in recent years due to conflicts between the two nations, and Mkhitaryan has decided against applying for a special permit based on family advice.
Unai Emery's side opened their Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava a fortnight ago.
Emery, who won the Europa League three times in a row while in charge of Sevilla, has taken a strong squad for the 5,000-mile round trip to Azerbaijan.
The Gunners will aim to extend their winning run to eight matches in all competitions and Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil were all among the travelling party which boarded the long flight to Baku on Wednesday morning.
Bernd Leno is set to play in goal after it was confirmed that Petr Cech will be sidelined for the next four weeks with a hamstring injury.
Cech has made seven Premier League appearances this season, with Emery utilising summer signing Leno in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.
Team news
This will be Arsenal's sixth match in less than three weeks, so Emery is expected to rotate his starting line-up.
The Gunners are facing Fulham at noon on Sunday, but the Spaniard is expected to field a strong side in Baku despite Mkhitaryan's absence.
Alex Iwobi impressed when he came off the bench against Watford and could be in line for a start, while Sead Kolasinac and Stephan Lichtsteiner could be handed recalls.
Leno is now expected to retain his place in the competition with third-choice 'keeper Emiliano Martinez likely to be on the substitutes' bench.
Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (fractured fibula) and Laurent Koscielny (Achilles) all remain out but Emile Smith Rowe is available again after overcoming a hip issue.
Opta stats
- FK Qarabag have never faced Arsenal previously, though they have played four European games against English opposition - they've lost all four by an aggregate score of 14-1.
- Arsenal won four away matches in the Europa League in 2017-18, their joint-most in a single European campaign along with their 2005-06 season in the Champions League.
- FK Qarabag have lost each of their last three games in the Europa League, their worst ever run in the competition.
- Arsenal have lost just one of their last 15 group stage games in European competition (W11 D3), though it was in their most recent such away game (0-1 vs FC Koln).
- Since the start of last season, 17 different players have scored for Arsenal in the Europa League, at least six more different scorers than any other club (Zenit and Lazio, 11).
