After their north London derby heroics, Arsenal will be looking to continue their fine form when they host Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.
Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka saw Arsenal secure the bragging rights against Tottenham in their last outing, keeping the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table. Mikel Arteta's side has started the season in brilliant form, and all attention now turns to the Europa League.
The clash with Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt will be just the second Europa League game of the season for Arsenal, with their previous fixture against PSV postponed due to a lack of available police in London following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. And with a busy schedule ahead including a clash against Liverpool on the weekend, the Gunners could make wholesale changes tonight.
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With no fresh injury worries for Arteta, only Emile Smith-Rowe and Mohamed Elneny are sidelined for the Europa League clash. The likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Matt Turner, Marquinhos, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson could all start for the Gunners, with the latter recently returning from injury.
So, what could the score be in Arsenal's clash with Bodo/Glimt tonight? We simulated the game to find out.
Arsenal vs Bodo/Glimt simulated
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that Arsenal could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Turner; Cedric, Holding, Tomiyasu, Tierney; Viera, Lokonga, Xhaka; Nelson, Nketiah, Marquinhos.
We predict that the Norwegian side could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Haikin; Sampsted, Hoibraten, Lode, Wembangomo; Vetlesen, Berg, Saltnes; Mvuka, Salvesen, Solbakken.
56 seconds into the game, Bodo/Glmit were reduced to 10 men when Hugo Vetlesen was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Granit Xhaka, giving the Gunners a hefty advantage from the go. It then went from bad to worse for the visitors when they turned the ball into their own net to hand Arsenal the lead.
A cross into the box was headed against the crossbar by Nketiah, with calamity ensuing from the loose ball. The striker scuffed a shot on the second attempt that was cleared off the line, but the ball was kicked into the body of the Bodo/Glimt 'keeper, sending the clearance back into the net.
Despite being down to 10 men, the visitors put up a good fight as they forced Matt Turner into a few good saves. But, the quality from Arsenal was too much to handle, and Nketiah grabbed the Gunners' second before the break.
Marquinhos was a major threat down the left in the first half, and the Brazilian was involved again as he skipped past two men before firing a low cross into the box. The ball was met by Xhaka at the near post who flicked it deeper into the box, and Nketiah's smart movement saw the striker meet the pass before firing into the roof of the net.
With just under 15 minutes to go, Xhaka continued his goalscoring form as he scored to confirm the three points for Arsenal. A rapid counter-attacking move saw the Gunners push forward in numbers, with Marquinhos, Fabio Viera, Xhaka and Nelson facing two defenders.
As Nelson and Marquinhos pushed wide, it opened up a gaping hole for Xhaka to run into, and Viera found the midfielder to send him through one-on-one. With no pressure on him, Xhaka blasted his effort into the bottom corner, destroying any hope of a comeback for Bodo/Glimt.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Arsenal 3-0 Bodo/Glimt
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Arsenal could ease to a comfortable 3-0 victory against Bodo/Glimt tonight. Despite going down to 10 men in the simulation, the visitors still posed a big threat at times, so the Gunners will need to remain wary in the real game.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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