Arsenal vs Zurich

Arsenal’s bid to lock down a top spot in an exciting Europa League Group A is on the line as out-of-sorts Zurich arrive at the Emirates Stadium in the group stage finale.

Even though an underwhelming 2-0 defeat at PSV Eindhoven last weekend knocked them down from an eye-catching ten-game winning streak in all competitions, Arsenal looked unfazed at the weekend, cruising to an overwhelming 5-0 home triumph over Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest. After solidifying their place at the Premier League summit, the ‘Gunners’ will be out to build on an impressive 100% seven-game record against Swiss clubs in European football (W7) and leave second-placed PSV in their wake. There’s plenty the London faithful can look forward to this midweek, with Mikel Arteta’s men only losing once in their last 19 group stage home matches in major European competitions (W15, D3). On top of that, they head into proceedings having kept a clean sheet in three straight home European games for the first time since 2019.

In the meantime, visiting Zurich can still prolong their European journey should they upset the apple cart in London despite losing their opening four Europa League matches this term. Last week’s 2-1 home triumph over third-placed Bodo/Glimt has opened a window of opportunity for Zurich to switch to the Europa Conference League knockout round playoffs. With one point separating them from a coveted third spot, the reigning Swiss Super League champions can still extend their abysmal European season, at least in theory. However, new manager Bo Henriksen led Zurich to only their first league win of the season last weekend, courtesy of a 1-0 humbling of Sion, which has been insufficient to steer them off the relegation spot. If that’s not enough to dampen their spirits, the visitors have only won once in their last 17 away games in major European competitions (D3, L13).