UEFA Champions League table-toppers Arsenal finish their group phase by hosting bottom-placed side Kairat Almaty at the Emirates.
Arsenal secured their seventh win in as many group phase games this season in the UEFA Champions League last week, and virtually confirmed top spot in the standings ahead of the visit of Kairat Almaty.
Mikel Arteta’s side are on the verge of entering the knockout phases without needing to play the first leg at the Emirates at all, and probably not even face Bayern Munich during those games at least until the final.
However, they still have the small task of confirming top spot, although as things stand, they are guaranteed to finish in the top two regardless of their result on the final matchday. Arsenal now hosts bottom-placed Kairat Almaty, which is a clash where the Gunners are the overwhelming favourites to take three points.
However, there are some worrying signs about Arsenal’s display from the weekend as they lost at the Emirates for the first time this season against Manchester United. Before that, they were comfortable winners against Inter Milan at the San Siro, but at the moment, Arteta will want his team to use this game against Kairat to reduce pressure and put in a top performance.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan champions Kairat Almaty will visit the Emirates for the first time in their history. The players were visibly pumped during the Champions League group phase draw, and were particularly jubilant when Arsenal’s name came up as their opponents.
Rafael Urazbakhtin’s men did give a good account of themselves with some level of performance, considering they were the minnows in this competition. The results have not gone their way, as they have lost six of their seven games in the group phase.
The only point earned came in the draw against fellow newcomers Pafos. They have suffered defeats at the hands of Sporting CP, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Olympiakos, Copenhagen and Club Brugge. That might stay as it is, as Kairat are not expected to get anything out against Arsenal, and are now set to bow out of the competition in the first hurdle.
Team News & Tactics
Arsenal
Arteta is widely expected to ring in the changes, especially now that there are no major injury concerns in the team since last week. Defensive pair Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori returned to training last week, but the latter was kept out of the squad while the former started against Manchester United on Sunday.
Kai Havertz was also absent from the squad amid rumours of a fresh injury setback, although Arteta has since dismissed the claim. The German may not be at risk from the start, but surely there are minutes for him in this upcoming game against Kairat.
Midfield duo Declan Rice and Mikel Merino picked up yellow card suspensions in the game against Inter Milan, which could see Christian Norgaard come into the midfield. This game is certainly one to experiment with, as Calafiori could start in central defence alongside Cristhian Mosquera, thus allowing Arteta to rest Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba for this one.
Alternatively, he could also start Marli Salmon for this one, while Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly are also expected to feature. Norgaard could potentially have skipper Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze in the midfield setting. Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke will likely start this one, while Viktor Gyokeres could return to the lineup to face Kairat.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1) – Kepa; White, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Norgaard; Madueke, Eze, Martinelli; Gyokeres
Kairat Almaty
Kairat have been without much game time since concluding their title-winning league campaign in October, with the Champions League game their only avenue for football since.
Chelsea-bound Dastan Satpaev is the only big doubt for Kairat, with the teenager only moving to London next summer, as he also missed the game against Club Brugge with an unspecified injury.
Beyond that, manager Urazbakhtin will mostly have his full squad to select from, and he will most likely go with the regular 4-2-3-1 shape against Arsenal. Egor Sorokin and Aleksandr Martynovic are the central defenders in the system, with Erkin Tapalov and Luis Mata playing as full-backs.
Dan Glazer will partner with Damir Kasabulat in central midfield, while Jorginho will assume the advanced role. Edmilson will lead the line for Kairat with Aleksandr Mrynskiy and Valeri Gromkyo stationed on the wings.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1) – Anarbekov; Tapalov, Sorokin, Martynovich, Mata; Glazer, Kasabulat; Mrynskiy, Jorginho, Gromyko; Edmilson
Key Stats
- Arsenal have won all of their 7 Group Phase games in this season’s Champions League.
- Arsenal have conceded just 2 goals in their 7 games so far, with only one of those at the Emirates.
- Kairat Almaty and Arsenal will meet for the very first time.
- Kairat Almaty have failed to win a single game in their group phase run, collecting just a solitary point.
Player to Watch
Eberechi Eze
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This game might not be of any consequence to Arsenal in the context of the Champions League, but it could be important from a performance standpoint for some of their players. Chief among those is Eze, who has had a mini-drop off in his form, as the attacking midfielder would be eager to find his best self again.
Eze needs a game without much pressure to get back tin o his stride, and the Kairat clash couldn’t have come at a better time. In the context of their season, Arteta would need all of his key stars in top form, and a top display against Kairat could help players like Eze in a big way to build momentum ahead of more serious fixtures.
Prediction
Kairat Almaty 0-5 Arsenal
Kairat are set to end their Champions League journey with by far one of their most special visits in Europe, to Arsenal. The team and their fans will hope for a good outing out there, but the idea of getting even a goal against the Gunners, let alone a positive result, will be extremely challenging for the Kazakh side.
Meanwhile, Arteta is most likely to use this game as a training match of sorts to help some of his players build momentum. The Gunners are widely expected to score many goals and keep a clean sheet to finish their group phase journey are table toppers.