ARSENAL take on Sevilla in the Champions League this week – and they'll be looking to bounce back from their defeat at Lens.
The Gunners opened their group stage account with an emphatic 4-0 win over PSV but were undone by Ligue 1 outfit Lens on Matchday two.
Mikel Arteta's side will want to secure qualification to the last-16 as quickly possible, but anything other than a win in Seville will make things trickier than necessary.
The last time Arsenal were in the Champions League – the 2016/17 season – they managed to qualify for the knockout rounds.
In fact, the Gunners were knocked out in the last-16 seven years running under Arsene Wenger, last making the quarter-finals in 2010.
You would need to go back to 2002/03 to find when Arsenal last failed to make the knockout stages, and even that year saw them eliminated in the second group stage.
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History therefore, is on their side, to progress from the group.
The young core of the squad will likely be involved in the Champions League in many of the coming seasons, so getting into the latter stages in year one would be a good way to start.
Meanwhile, Sevilla have dropped down to the Europa League on the last two occasions they have been in the Champions League group stage.
The Europa League specialists are without a win in the group this season after draws to both Lens and PSV.
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What is their form like?
At the weekend, Arsenal drew 2-2 at Chelsea but were outplayed for large portions of the game.
It has been a common theme this season for Arsenal to not play particularly well but to bring home a result regardless.
As a result they remain unbeaten domestically despite the massive scare they had at the weekend.
They have drawn two of their last six games, picking up three wins in the others with the single loss to Lens blighting their record.
Sevilla drew 1-1 with Real Madrid at the weekend in a spicy encounter.
Sevilla have struggled to win games this season, something new boss Diego Alonso – who was appointed on October 10 – is aiming to change.
The Spaniards have won just one of their last five La Liga games, but on the flip side have lost just one of their last seven matches in all competitions.
Post-manager bounce appears to be in full swing at the club after their 1-1 draw with Madrid at the weekend, Alonso's first match in charge.
Team news and injuries
Aaron Ramsdale will be back in selection contention after missing the Chelsea match due to his wife giving birth to a baby boy.
David Raya's struggles in the game could see him removed from the spotlight until the weekend.
Thomas Partey may start the match having made a slow return to the squad after suffering a groin injury after Jorginho was below par against the Blues.
Meanwhile, one of Kai Havertz or Fabio Vieira may be an alternativeoption should Partey not be chosen to not start alongside Declan Rice.
The likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Leandro Trossard are pushing to start too.
The Gunners only long-term absentee remains Jurrien Timber.
In Sevilla's case, ex-Tottenham star Erik Lamela could be available from the start after only featuring against Madrid for three minutes following his return from a hip injury.
Sergio Ramos is likely to captain the team, meaning Arsenal's attackers will have to make sure they do not lose their heads against a master of the dark arts.
However, Sevilla do have a number of players sidelined for the match, including Mariano Diaz, Marcao and Kike Salas.
Who will be the star men?
Bukayo Saka, as always, has been the man leading Arsenal onwards.
This has proven no different in the Champions League, where he has already scored one goal and grabbed two assists.
The 22-year-old played the full duration of the Chelsea match after sitting out of the international break.
Goals are not exactly flooding out of Sevilla at the moment, from both ends.
Indeed, only one player Youssef En-Nesyri has scored more than three goals in all competitions this season, and that is why he could be the difference maker in the host's favour.
The 26-year-old Moroccan forward has nine Champions League goals in 16 appearances.
While En-Nesyri will occupy the backline, Arsenal will need to pay mind to stars such as Ivan Rakitic who can dictate the flow of the game and create something out of nothing.
Ramos, 37, remains a threat at set-pieces, while the likes of Lucas Ocampos or Dodi Lukébakio can provide threat from wide areas.
What have the managers said?
Mikel Arteta revealed the Arsenal dressing room was "quiet" after the 2-2 draw with Chelsea, owing to the Gunners wanting more from the game.
He will face the media before the Sevilla clash this evening, but was full of praise for his sides character at the weekend.
He said: "I could see at half time, it was a knife between our teeth and we had to do better and the game was still there for us. We had that belief.
"Even with the goal we conceded, we continued to be like this. I loved that about the team and I’m going to demand that from them every single day.
"This is who we are and the only way to still create a lot of issues with the opponent even when you’re not at your best."
Following the draw at Madrid, Alonso was also full of praise for his team, telling club media: "Overall it was a good performance, they did what I asked of them, which was to be brave and stand up to Madrid.
"I'm proud of what the players did, although there are things to improve on, but it was much more positive.
"We played out from the back, we built, we looked for spaces. There's a lot to take from the performance, such as our commitment to press, defend, getting back in numbers…
"I'm happy with what I've seen and it's a shame we didn't come away with three points."
He continued: "There's still a long way to go but the way to build, based on belief, is to do things as we did today, to stand up without fear, without complexes, and go head-to-head with them.
"I'm happy with that but not the result, because winning is the only thing that matters.
"The effort from today means Tuesday will be a challenge, especially based on who the opponents are.
"We have confidence in our resources and we'll try to strengthen them and impose ourselves on the match."
SunSport prediction
Both sides come into the game with some patchy form to boot.
Arsenal can expect a tough fixture to await them at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
However, so long as they are able to keep their heads, they should have the quality to come away with a narrow win.
Sevilla 1-2 Arsenal
When is Sevilla vs Arsenal?
- Sevilla's clash with Arsenal will take place on Tuesday, October 24.
- The game will kick off 8pm BST.
- The Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium will play host to the Champions League clash.
What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
- Sevilla vs Arsenal will be shown on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.
- You can live stream the action from the Discovery+ app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
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Odds
- Sevilla – 3/1
- Draw – 5/2
- Arsenal – 8/11
*Odds courtesy of Betfred and correct at time of publication.
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