Europa League: 3 Reasons why Arsenal will beat Napoli
Arsenal fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Everton over the weekend and that result impacted their hopes of a top-four finish. Meanwhile, Napoli are en route to finishing in second place in the Serie A despite drawing with Genoa. The two sides will battle it out in the Europa League quarterfinals, with the first leg to be played at the Emirates.
Following the loss to Everton, fans are slightly pessimistic about Arsenal's chances of beating Gli Azzurri. The Italian side have players such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Lorenzo Insigne who will make the battle between both the sides extremely interesting. Arsenal loanee David Ospina cannot play in the goal against in parent club. Thus far, the keeper has done well in Italy and Ancelotti could be tempted to play him against the Gunners.
Here are three reasons to consider why Arsenal will beat their opponents this Thursday.
#3 Emery's experience in Europa League
When the manager was at Sevilla, he helped the club to three consecutive Europa League titles. There is no doubt that he has loads of experience in the competition and knows exactly the tactics that he should use to play against a big club like Napoli.
It is crucial that Arsenal secure victory in this tie as it will give the team a boost after their defeat to Everton at Goodison Park. Additionally, given the Gunners' poor form away from home, it will be risky if Arsenal do not win by a huge margin in the upcoming clash.
Both managers are in their first season of managing their respective clubs. Napoli are all but guaranteed qualification into next season's UEFA Champions League as they currently sit second in the Serie A table standings.
As for Arsenal, they dropped to fifth following Chelsea's victory over West Ham and face a tough fight to finish in the top four. Emery would have to throw all his cards out to win this tie and this competition. With this in mind, it could motivate the Gunners to beat Napoli and advance.