Arsenal travel to Girona on Wednesday knowing that it would take a perfect storm of results for them to miss out on a top-eight spot in the league phase of the Champions League. Still, there is plenty for Mikel Arteta to consider. How does he balance the value of high seeding, perhaps even second place, with the value of rest ahead of Manchester City’s visit to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday?
Rising to second place either requires a four-goal winning margin for the Gunners in Girona or, perhaps more likely, Atalanta beating Barcelona and Arsenal just winning. For Girona, meanwhile, there is nothing but pride to play for. With three points to their name, the Catalans cannot finish in the top 24 and will be playing their final European game of the season.
Arsenal Champions League scenarios and permutations: Live stream, where to watch, start time
Chuck Booth
Viewing information
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadi Montilivi — Girona, Spain
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Girona +400; Draw +300; Arsenal -175
Team news
Girona: Defensive numbers are going to be stretched for the home team, who will be without veteran center back Daley Blind and their vital left back Miguel Gutierrez, who has an ankle issue. First-choice goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga is also unavailable while his fellow former Tottenham teammate Bryan Gil is suspended.
There might be nothing that Wednesday’s game can do to change Girona’s fate but that does not mean they will go anything other than full bore, according to their manager. “It’s a Champions League match and we want to win,” said Michel. “We deserved to qualify for Europe last season and we want to honor this achievement. Also, if we win we could help La Liga send five Spanish teams into the competition next year.”
Given that Girona are only six points off Villarreal in fifth, perhaps there is a long-distance motivating factor for the hosts anyway.
Possible Girona XI: Pau Lopez; Martínez, David Lopez, Juanpe, Frances; Martín, Herrera; Tsygankov, van de Beek, Danjuma; Ruiz
Arsenal: Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino both missed the thrilling and draining 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday but were back in training on Tuesday and on the plane to Girona, where they were joined by Kai Havertz. The German, who collapsed to the Molineux field at full time, will be an interesting test case for the strength of the XI Arteta chooses to go with. Could he be kept back on the bench to give him a breather, perhaps thrown on if a win might have a meaningful impact for this team?
Meanwhile, Myles Lewis-Skelly has had the three-game ban for the red card given to him by Michael Oliver in the weekend’s win overturned on appeal. Might he start or will Arteta conclude that the 18-year-old is his best left back on current form and merits the start in what promises to be this week’s bigger clash?
Possible Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Nwaneri, Trossard, Martinelli
Prediction
Girona won’t want their debut Champions League season to end in embarrassment, expect them to push Arsenal all the way. PICK: Girona 1, Arsenal 2
Read the full article here
