Emery look for Europa League salvation with Arsenal against Eintracht
London, Wednesday
Unai Emery has the chance to relieve some of the pressure surrounding his position at Arsenal on Thursday by securing qualification for the knockout rounds of the Europa League with a match to spare.
Speculation over Emery’s job has ramped up after his Gunners side were booed off at the end of their 2-2 draw with lowly Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, gained only thanks to a 96th-minute leveller from Alexandre Lacazette.
However he can remove some of the gloom hovering over North London by booking their place in the last 32 with a win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Group F leaders Arsenal are four points ahead of both third-placed Eintracht and Standard Liege with two matches remaining, and will also qualify if Standard don’t win at bottom side Vitoria Guimaraes.
Emery was publicly backed by the Arsenal hierarchy at the start of the international break but the pressure has continued to grow following a run of just two wins in their last 11 Premier League games, with bookmakers in the United Kingdom placing him among the favourites to be the next manager ousted.
The Spaniard said he was “disappointed and frustrated” after the draw, which denied the Saints a first win at Arsenal since 1997.
“I understand the supporters, we didn’t deserve any more today, we lost a big opportunity to connect with our supporters,” he said.
“We had the chance to take confidence from today but we didn’t do that.”
They face an Eintracht side that have lost their last three in all competitions and come into Thursday’s clash in London having lost at home to Wolfsburg despite their opponents having to play the entire second half with 10 men.
However, they will have their captain David Abraham available for a match that could be crucial to the European hopes of last season’s semi-finalists after he was banned until 2020 in the Bundesliga for barging over Freiburg coach Christian Streich earlier this month. - AFP
