UEFA Europa League - Sevilla v Roma - Final
Jun 1When and where to watch Arsenal vs FC Zurich
Arsenal vs FC Zurich kicks off at 8pm on Thursday 3 November.
You can catch all the action at the Emirates from 7.30pm on BT Sport 2 and Ultimate – LIVE STREAM
Arsenal vs FC Zurich match preview
Arsenal would've liked to have come into their final group stage fixture with automaticic qualification already wrapped up, but their defeat to PSV Eindhoven last week means there's all to play for on Matchday 6.
Now they'll need to beat Zurich at the Emirates to guarantee their pathway into the knockout stages of the competition.
On Sunday, Arsenal visit Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League and will want to go into that London derby in good shape so they can battle to stay at the top of the league before the World Cup break.
Arteta might rest some players for FC Zurich with the Blues in mind, though the Arsenal boss did say after the PSV defeat:
"We never planned to have a day off (for the Zurich game) because we know how difficult it is to win in Europe. You just have to see the other groups and where everybody is. We’re in a really good position - we’ve won four games and we have to finalise the job against Zurich at home in a week’s time, and we will prepare for that."
On paper this top vs bottom clash in Group A should be a home-banker, but Zurich did win their last match in the competition 2-1 against Bodo/Glimt and their last domestic fixture 1-0 away at Sion, so they come into the fixture in some good form.
Arsenal vs FC Zurich predicted teams
Arsenal: Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Holding, Saliba, Tierney, Lokonga, Xhaka, Odegaard, Partey, Nketiah, Nelson.
FC Zurich: Brecher; Boranijasevic, Kamberi, Katic, Aliti, Okita, Conde, Selaes, Guerrero, Krasniqi, Tosin.
Arsenal vs FC Zurich: Injuries and suspensions
Bukayo Saka suffered an ankle injury against Nottingham Forest at the weekend and will miss the match against Zurich. The hope is that he'll be back soon and ready for the World Cup.
Oleksandr Zinchenko continues his recovery from injury, but won't be back for Thursday's fixture.
Reserve goalkeeper Matt Turner missed the last match in Holland and was replaced by first-choice keeper Aaron Ramsdale. Turner looks likely to miss out again after feeling some discomfort in his groin during training.
Zurich are likely to be without their goalscorer from the first match against the Gunners, with Mirlind Kryeziu suffering from a muscle injury.
Midfielders Donis Avdijaj and Blerim Dzemaili are also out with injuries.
Form (last 6 matches)
Arsenal - LWWWWW
Zurich - DDDDLW
Arsenal vs FC Zurich: Form guide
Arsenal have been in great form all season, but have a big test at the weekend when they play away to Chelsea.
A 5-0 weekend win in front of their own fans will give them great confidence going into this match against Zurich, who currently sit bottom of Group A.
In Europe, Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the season away at PSV Eindhoven last week.
A lacklustre performance is slightly worrying for Mikel Arteta who will now need to get the job done at home against Zurich to guarantee top spot and avoid a playoff match before going into the knockout stages of the competition.
FC Zurich have been draw specialists in their domestic league, with four ties in a row before losing a match and then winning at the weekend.
Zurich currently sit bottom of their domestic league, while Arsenal are top of the Premier League.
In Europe, Zurich are also bottom of Group A, but they did pick up their first three points of the campaign with a 2-1 win ovr Bodo/Glimt in their last match.
He said what?!
Mikel Arteta after defeat in Eindhoven:
"Today’s the first defeat after a long period. It’s time to reset, to analyse what happened. Congratulations to PSV - they were the better team and they deserved to win the game. There’s no question about that. We were nowhere near our level today, especially the way we competed."
Arsenal vs FC Zurich: Last time they met
Arsenal came away with a 2-1 win when the clubs met on Matchday 1 in Switzerland.
Marquinhos and Eddie Nketiah scored the goals, with Zurich's goal coming from a Mirlind Kryeziu penalty.
Arsenal vs FC Zurich: Players to watch
Reiss Nelson was given the opportunity to shine for Arsenal in the Premier League at the weekend when Bukayo Saka had to come off injured after just 27 minutes.
The 22-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Feyenoord, hadn’t played for Arsenal in the league since the first game of last season, though he has picked up some minutes in the Europa League.
And it had been nearly two years since Nelson last scored for the Gunners – also in a 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest, in the League Cup.
Against Forest at the weekend Nelson scored twice and provided an assist for Arsenal’s fourth goal.
With Saka out prior to the World Cup, Nelson now has the chance to become an important player and fulfil the potential that made him such a hot prospect when he first burst on the scene in North London.
