Arsenal vs Olympiacos LIVE: Team news, line-ups and more ahead of Europa League fixture today
Follow all the action as Arsenal host Olympiacos in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
The Gunners boast a commanding 3-1 aggregate lead from the first leg, when Martin Odegaard gave his side the lead with a fierce long-range shot. A calamitous error gifted the Greek champions a second-half equaliser, however, Gabriel Magalhaes and Mohamed Elneny seized a firm advantage for Mikel Arteta’s side in the final 15 minutes. Arsenal are clear favourites to progress to the quarter-finals, but will still remember the scars of their dramatic exit at the hands of Olympiacos last season, when Youssef El-Arabi scored a last-gasp extra-time winner at the Emirates.
Arteta confirmed that a line has been drawn under Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s discipline breach, which saw the captain dropped for the club’s 2-1 north London derby victory against Tottenham. “We talked, everything has been resolved in a really positive way. So we move forward,” Arteta said. “Everybody has to obviously perform at the highest level to earn his place in the team and there is no exceptions there.” Follow all the action live below:
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FIRST LEG
Olympiacos 1 (El-Arabi 58’)
Arsenal 3 (Odegaard 34’, Gabriel 79’, Elneny 85’)
With the away strikes and the two-goal lead, the Gunners have to be hugely confident of progression tonight – but there’s still a job to do. Here’s a reminder of that first leg and what happened:
Arsenal avoid self-sabotage against Olympiacos with late first-leg victory in Europa League
Olympiacos 1-3 Arsenal: Gunners gifted the hosts an equaliser but a late surge might have saved the tie
OLYMPIACOS LINE-UP
And here’s the side the Greeks are putting out in search of a comeback:
Olympiacos XI: Jose Sa, Ba, Sokratis, Holebas, Androutsos, Camara, M’Vila, Reabciuk, Masouras, El Arabi, Fortounis
ARSENAL LINE-UP
The big news for the Gunners is the return to the line-up of striker and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after his weekend misdeeds.
Arsenal XI: Leno; Bellerin, David Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Elneny; Pepe, Ceballos, Smith Rowe; Aubameyang
ARSENAL DEFEND FIRST-LEG LEAD AGAINST OLYMPIACOS
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage as Arsenal defend a 3-1 aggregate lead in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie against Greek champions Olympiacos.
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