Red Star Belgrade vs. Arsenal: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Europa Match

Arsenal will look to consolidate their position at the top of Group H in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday when they take on Red Star Belgrade.

The Gunners have seen off both Cologne and BATE Borisov to hold a two-point lead over Belgrade, and a win at the Rajko Mitic Stadium would allow them to expand that gap to five points.

A preview of the contest follows the viewing details and team news ahead of the match.

Date: Thursday, October 19

Time: 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET

TV: BT Sport 2 (UK), ESPN3 USA, Fox Sports 2 USA

Live Stream: BT Sport Live (UK), WatchESPN (USA), Fox Sports Go (USA)

Team News

Per the Press Association (h/t The Mirror), Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers, Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla are all long-term absentees, while Laurent Koscielny and Sead Kolasinac faced late fitness tests ahead of Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Watford.

Kolasinac eventually featured, and he could paly again on Thursday. Koscielny played, but he went off injured along with Danny Welbeck, per ESPN FC's Mattias Karen:

As such, the two are firmly in doubt, with the former unlikely to have been involved anyway given manager Arsene Wenger has thus far rotated his side for the Europa League.

Alexis Sanchez was rested against the Hornets after returning from South America following the international break, and he could be again if Wenger wants to keep him fresh for Sunday's trip to Everton.

Per Transfermarkt, Branko Jovicic, Milan Borjan, Vujadin Savic and Milan Rodic are all on the sidelines for Red Star and are in doubt to feature as a result.

Preview

Arsenal's frailty reared its ugly head last Saturday as the Gunners sank to their third Premier League defeat of the season, but Thursday should offer a brief respite from their frustrations.

In their last outing, they beat BATE 4-2 in Belarus. Despite letting slip some of their early control in the match, Bleacher Report's James McNicholas was delighted overall:

Indeed, given the youth on display for the Gunners, it is perhaps unsurprising they lacked the maturity to manage the game better.

OptaJoe made note of Wenger's team selection:

They were nevertheless impressive, though, and will have another opportunity to showcase their abilities on Thursday, likely alongside some more experienced players again such as Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud.

Reiss Nelson, 17, was particularly impressive despite being deployed out of position at right wing-back, per Squawka Football:

The midfielder seems likely to be handed another run-out on Thursday to continue his development, so it will be worth keeping an eye on him during the clash.

Arsenal may be struggling in the Premier League, but even with the inclusion of some youngsters they should have enough about them to pick up another win here.

A victory isn't likely to earn them much of a reprieve from the fans given their familiar domestic problems, but it will nevertheless set them up well to win their group in the competition that arguably provides their best chance of qualifying for next year's UEFA Champions League.