Arsenal vs Napoli Preview: UEFA Europa League Match Preview, Where to watch and more
In what promises to be an exciting encounter, Napoli will travel to London to take on Arsenal in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday. The Gunners were narrowly defeated by Everton in the Premier League during the weekend, whereas Napoli drew against Genoa in front of their home crowd in Naples.
The London outfit have an impeccable record in front of their fans, winning four and drawing one in the Europa League this campaign. Carlo Ancelotti will be wary about their opponents' form at their home turf as the Italian outfit hope to nick an away goal or two to put the pressure on Unai Emery, going into the second leg.
Skipper Laurent Koscielny and Granit Xhaka have trained with the rest of the squad on Wednesday and are being assessed ahead of the huge clash. The visitors will be without their key center-back Raul Albiol and the youngster Amadou Diawara for their trip to London.
When these two sides locked horns at the Emirates Stadium in 2013, the Gunners beat them 2-0 in the Champions League Group stages.
Kickoff Information
Date: 12th April 2019, 11th April 2019 (Indian Subcontinent)
Time: 20:00 (local time), 00:30 (IST)
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
TV Coverage: Sony Ten 2/Ten 2 HD
Live Streaming: SonyLIV
Form Guide
Last five fixtures, in all competitions
Arsenal: W-W-W-W-L
Napoli: L-W-W-W-D
Head-To-Head
Arsenal wins: 1 win
Napoli wins: 1 win
Draws: 0 draws
Key Players
Arsenal: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang has scored 21 goals in all competitions this campaign, including four in the Europa League. The Gabon international has been the main man for the Gunners in front of goal.
Aubameyang will have a monumental task against one of the best defenders in the world, Kalidou Koulibaly. The 29-year-old is clinical in front of goal, and he needs to maintain that finesse to help out the Gunners in the first leg.
Napoli: Arkadiusz Milik
Arkadiusz Milik is the top scorer for the side from Naples this season and he would want to continue his proficiency in front of goal. The striker gets the nod above defender Kalidou Koulibaly and midfielder Allan because of the importance of away goals.
The Gunners defence is the worst in the Premier League top six and it can be easily breached. Coupled with their defensive woes, their away form causes concern.