Mikel Arteta's Arsenal face their final Europa League group stage fixture this evening as they welcome FC Zurich to Emirates Stadium. The Gunners sit top of the group and will qualify in that position if they can beat their Swiss adversaries.
Arsenal suffered just their second defeat of the season in the Netherlands losing 2-0 to PSV last Thursday setting up a crucial final matchday where the Dutch side could leapfrog the Gunners if they win and Arteta's side fail to do so.
Following the defeat, the Gunners were able to bounce back, beating Nottingham Forest over the weekend in the Premier League with Reiss Nelson (2), Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard all getting on the scoresheet.
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The Gunners also received a triple dose of good news this week with Bukayo Saka, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mohamed Elneny all spotted in training on Tuesday.
Despite an important Premier League fixture against Chelsea on Sunday, Arteta has named a strong lineup, with Nelson included after he and the club dropped several hints on social media over the last few days.
Ahead of the fixture, Arsenal have offered fans a sneak peak of captain Odegaard's programme notes where the Norwegian says that following on from last weeks result, the goal for this evening's game is clear.
"Losing in the Netherlands means we have to win tonight at home to Zurich – that’s all there is to it," he said.
"We have spoken all season about how important it is to finish top of the group, and all that comes with it. That’s still the aim of course, and three points will do that tonight. It makes it another big night, another important game, and there’s no time to relax."
The 23-year-old continued to talk about the importance of the fixture and while Zurich have their own qualities, the Arsenal team know that by playing at their best they should win.
He added: "All the games are difficult in Europe, and every side is really motivated when they show up at the Emirates. It’s a team that we know, if we play well, we should beat, and if we play how we want to, then we should get the win.
"You always have to show up, put on a good performance and not expect anything other than a top performance from our opponents. They will come here to prove their qualities, and also they have nothing to lose in this group, which can make them dangerous too.
"For us though, we need to be professional, concentrate on our performance, and get the win so we can look forward to European football again in March."
Arsenal's match against Zurich gets underway at 8pm from Emirates Stadium while football.london will also be providing live updates of the game.
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