BATE vs. Arsenal: Odds, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Europa League Match

Arsenal's bid for UEFA Europa League glory will continue on Thursday when they face BATE Borisov in the last 32 of the competition.

The Gunners made light work of their group and will be desperate to go far having made it to the semi-finals of the competition last season. In manager Unai Emery, they have a Europa League specialist at the helm, as he steered Sevilla to three wins in this tournament in succession.

BATE did well to make it out of a group containing Chelsea, PAOK and Vidi, and given they will be at home for the first leg of this encounter they shouldn't be taken lightly.

Odds

BATE win (27/4)

Draw (19/5)

Chelsea win (10/21)

Odds are courtesy of OddsChecker

Date: Thursday, February 14

Time: 5:55 p.m. (GMT), 12:55 p.m. (ET)

TV Info: BT Sport (UK)

Live Stream: BT Sport website (UK), BR Live (U.S.)

Preview

Given the Gunners are out of the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and the Premier League title race, the Europa League represents the only chance of silverware for Emery in his debut season as manager.

Arsenal should be one of the favourites to go deep in the competition. Not only have they been handed a relatively straightforward draw in this round, in Emery they have a coach who is an expert when it comes to knockout football, especially the Europa League.

The manager smartly navigated Sevilla to three triumphs in succession, showcasing his tactical acumen and motivational skills in high-pressure moments. Earlier in the campaign, Goal broke down his brilliant record in the tournament:

After a red-hot start to their group stage the Gunners were able to rotate in their final games, with key players rested and those on the fringes of the squad given a chance. 

With no Premier League game to come this weekend, the manager may view this as an ideal chance to get this tie won ahead of the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium in a week.

That may mean a start for top goalscorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has been lethal since arriving at the club in January 2018:

There may also be chances for some players further down the pecking order to make an impression too, including the club's highest earner Mesut Ozil, who has been absent due to illness in the team's last two games.

Denis Suarez may also get his first start after moving to the club from Barcelona on loan in January. As noted by Gunnerblog's James McNicholas, he's not had a fair chance to impress yet:

BATE qualified for the knockout stages following an impressive 3-1 win away at PAOK in their final group game. While the Belarusian outfit don't have any huge names in their XI, former Arsenal man Alexander Hleb could feature against his old club at the age of 37.

A lively home crowd and some difficult conditions may see Arsenal take a while to get fully up to speed in this encounter. However, they have enough quality to soak up what BATE have to offer and put themselves in a commanding position at the halfway point of this tie.

Prediction: BATE 0-2 Arsenal