Arsenal vs. Ostersund: Preview, Live Stream and TV Info for Europa League
Arsenal will be convinced they have one foot in the next stage of the UEFA Europa League, as they entertain Ostersund in the second leg of the round of 32 on Thursday.
The Gunners swept to a 3-0 victory in the first leg at the Jamtkraft Arena in Sweden, allowing the Emirates Stadium side room to breathe ahead of the next encounter.
The Premier League giants were unfazed during their travels to Scandinavia, as a strike from Nacho Monreal, an own goal from Sotirios Papagiannopoulos and clever finish from Mesut Ozil sealed the win.
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Here is how you can watch the match from north London:
Date: Thursday, Feb. 22
Time: 8:05 p.m. (GMT)/ 3:05 p.m. (ET)
TV: BT Sport 2 (UK); ESPN3, Fox Sports 2 (U.S.)
Stream: BT Sport, WatchESPN, Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer Match Pass, fuboTV
Preview
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger got just what he wanted in the first leg, and the veteran coach can now rotate his options safe in the knowledge progression is all but assured.
The Swedish outfit displayed brief glimmers of quality as they hosted the Gunners, but there was a considerable gulf between the two teams.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains cup-tied for the competition after former club Borussia Dortmund slipped from the UEFA Champions League into the Europa, but he will not be missed after a convincing 3-0 victory at Ostersund.
Danny Welbeck played as a striker in the first leg, and the England international could feature again, with Alexandre Lacazette injured.
Speaking to beIN Sport before the first leg, Wenger confirmed Lacazette will spend a period on the sidelines after surgery (h/t Tashan Deniran-Alleyne of football.london):
"Lacazette had knee surgery and he won't be available for the Europa League game unfortunately.
"He got a surprising swell of the knee after the game against Tottenham [Hotspur] and he needed surgery very quick. He'll be out for the next four to five weeks.
"It's a massive blow for us and we have to find a solution and nobody could predict that. Football does unpredictable things and it's always a good opportunity for someone to step in and do well.
"Lacazette is down. I think he recently must have felt something in his knee. Maybe that's an explanation as to why he wasn't scoring as many goals as he's used to."
Per WhoScored.com, Aaron Ramsey could miss the game as he fights for fitness, but Sead Kolasinac and Rob Holding will be hoping for starts, with Calum Chambers and Reiss Nelson expected to feature. Ostersund could be without duo Johan Bertilsson and Smajl Suljevic due to injury, but the visitors will harbour minimal ambitions to cause a shock in the English capital.
Wenger will already be looking forward to the next round and an increased and concerted effort in the Premier League.
The Gunners are eight points behind Champions League qualification in the league standings, and they must start winning games with metronomic accuracy until the end of the campaign.
Lacazette will be a sizeable loss in the weeks ahead, but his absence offers Welbeck the opportunity to shine after repetitive issues with injury and fitness.
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