Preview: Arsenal vs. FC Zurich - prediction, team news, lineups

Mikel Arteta's charges remain first in the section despite going down 2-0 to PSV Eindhoven last week, while their Swiss counterparts can only reach the Europa Conference League at best.

Match preview

A spate of underwhelming wins had befallen Arsenal before such a run culminated in a deserved loss to PSV Eindhoven last week, as Joey Veerman and Luuk de Jong struck in the second half to ensure that the fight for first place would come down to the final matchday.

That result was, of course, overshadowed by news of the terrible stabbing in Italy which left loan player Pablo Mari wounded, and the Gunners paid tribute to their centre-back - who has now been discharged from hospital - during their comeback success against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

Regaining top spot in the Premier League by putting five unanswered goals past the Tricky Trees, Arsenal are now well-placed to book their ticket to the last-16 of the Europa League and simply need to match or better PSV's result against Bodo/Glimt to do so - Arteta's side will be hoping that the artificial Norwegian turf can trip up their Dutch adversaries as it nearly did them.

Two points separate Arsenal and PSV heading into the final matchday, and the Emirates fortress should certainly serve the Gunners well on Thursday, as they welcome Zurich to North London having won each of their last 11 competitive matches at home.

Furthermore, each of Arsenal's last five European fixtures at the Emirates Stadium has ended in victory - losing just one of their last 19 such games - and Arteta has frequently stressed the importance of finishing top and avoiding adding a playoff tie with a former Champions League contender into their unforgiving schedule.

Failure to overcome Bodo/Glimt would have consigned Zurich to a fourth-placed finish before the final matchday, but Bo Henriksen's side still have something to play for after overcoming their Scandinavian counterparts 2-1 on the penultimate matchday.

Amahl Pellegrino gave Bodo/Glimt the lead on the stroke of the hour mark, but Nikola Boranijasevic's leveller and Antonio Marchesano's stoppage-time winner kept Zurich's hopes of a third-placed finish alive, even if they can no longer trouble the top two.

A 1-0 victory over Sion at the weekend made it back-to-back wins for Zurich ahead of this game - the Swiss champions had miserably failed to triumph in 13 matches in all competitions prior to beating Bodo/Glimt - and the new manager bounce appears to have arrived late, but it has arrived nonetheless.

The visitors now sit one point behind Bodo/Glimt and will make it into the Europa Conference League if they can pull off a shock win at the Emirates and the Norwegian side lose to PSV. A draw could also be enough, but Zurich would then need PSV to win by at least six goals at the Aspmyra Stadion.

With a total of 15 goals conceded in their five group-stage games - the worst defensive record in the entire competition - Zurich will travel to North London in hope more than expectation, and Arsenal secured a somewhat nervy 2-1 win over the Swiss giants two months ago.

Arsenal Europa League form:

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W

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L

Arsenal form (all competitions):

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D

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W

FC Zurich Europa League form:

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L

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W

FC Zurich form (all competitions):

L

D

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W

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Team News

Arsenal are reportedly confident that the foot injury Bukayo Saka suffered in the win over Nottingham Forest is not a serious one, and the 21-year-old could even be back for the trip to Chelsea, but for the time being, two-goal substitute Reiss Nelson should fill in on the right.

Emile Smith Rowe is still absent, but Mohamed Elneny has returned to training much quicker than expected from a serious hamstring injury. The Egyptian will likely need more time to get up to speed, though, leaving Arteta in a tricky position with Granit Xhaka suspended.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Matt Turner are both doubts for the contest, and Xhaka's suspension could tempt Arteta into pairing Thomas Partey up with Albert Sambi Lokonga, taking some of the defensive responsibility off the latter's shoulders. Alternatively, Fabio Vieira and Martin Odegaard could both start in a midfield trio.

As for Zurich, Fabian Rohner will return to the squad amid a domestic suspension, but Mirlaid Kryeziu, Ilan Sauter, Blerim Dzemaili, Donis Avdijaj and Miguel Reichmuth are all sidelined.

Marchesano for the stricken Dzemaili was the only change that Henriksen made to his side at the weekend from the team that beat Bodo/Glimt, and an identical 3-4-1-2 setup should take to the field here.

The visitors have been handed a concern with ex-Rangers defender Nikola Katic, who came off with an unspecified injury against Sion, so Karol Mets is on standby.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Odegaard, Lokonga, Vieira; Nelson, Nketiah, Martinelli

FC Zurich possible starting lineup:

Brecher; Mets, Aliti, Kamberi; Boranijasevic, Selnaes, Conde, Guerrero; Marchesano; Okita, Tosin

We say: Arsenal 3-1 FC Zurich

Still with something to play for and buoyed by their recent pair of wins after such a miserable run in the late summer, Zurich should still prove to be a competitive opponent for Arsenal, whose win over the Swiss giants in September was not exactly convincing.

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