Arsenal have maintained an unbeaten record in the Premier League this season after a 2-2 draw with Chelsea in round 9. However, things have not gone smoothly for the "Gunners" in the Champions League arena. Unexpectedly losing to Lens in the second round, Arsenal need a positive result against Sevilla.
Currently, the "Gunners" are ranked 2nd in Group B with 3 points. Therefore, the importance of Mikel Arteta's return home trip is very high. Arsenal have won just one of their last 17 games in Spain. As for Arteta, he is still waiting for his first win against a Spanish opponent as coach.
The tactician also has to make a decision regarding the only Spanish player in the squad, goalkeeper David Raya. He made a mistake that helped Mykhailo Mudryk score from a tight angle in the 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Arsenal. It is likely that Aaron Ramsdale will return to the starting lineup.
Arsenal can count on Gabriel Jesus in good form up front. After scoring against PSV and Lens, the striker could become the second player to score in his first three Champions League games for the Gunners, after Marouane Chamakh in 2010-2011.
Defending Europa League champions Sevilla had a dramatic 2-2 draw with PSV in the second round. They took a double lead thanks to goals from Nemanja Gudeljri and En-Nesyri, but Jordan Teze's extra-time equaliser kept Sevilla out of all three points.
Coach Jose Luis Mendilibar was sacked five days later, replaced by Diego Alonso. The tactician had an impressive start last weekend, when Sevilla drew 1-1 with Real Madrid in La Liga.
Sergio Ramos, Gudelj, Marcos Acuna and Jesus Navas help Sevilla have a seasoned defense. Sevilla's starting lineup in the Champions League this season has an average age of 30 years 343 days, the oldest in the tournament.
Meanwhile, striker En-Nesyri is also in good form with 9 goals after 16 appearances in the Champions League.
Head-to-head record
Sevilla and Arsenal have only met twice before, both in the group stage of the Champions League 2007-2008. Head-to-head record is balanced when each team has 1 home win.
While Arsenal have a poor record in Spain, Sevilla have lost just three of their 10 home games against English clubs (5 wins, 2 draws).
Their most recent match was against Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the Europa League last season, with an impressive 3-0 victory.
Expected lineup:
Sevilla: Nyland; Navas, Gudelj, Ramos, Acuna; sow, Soumare, Rakitic; Lukebakio, En-Nesyri, Ocampos.
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Partey; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
The match between Sevilla and Arsenal takes place at 02:00 on October 25 (Vietnam time), live on FPT Play.
