Arsenal handed triple injury boost ahead of their Europa League semi-final showdown with Villarreal

Mikel Arteta could welcome Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Kieran Tierney back into the squad for Arsenal’s trip to face former Gunners boss Unai Emery’s Villarreal.

The London club travel to Estadio de la Cerámica on Thursday evening for their first-leg in the Europa League semi-final against Villarreal and have been boosted by the return of some key players to training ahead of the season defining fixture.

The trio had been struggling for fitness in recent weeks, as Aubameyang contracted malaria on international duty with Gabon, while Tierney suffered a knee-injury against reigning champions Liverpool earlier this month and looked to be ruled out for the season.

Arsenal’s woes were added to when Lacazette pulled up with a hamstring complaint during their draw with Fulham just over a week ago, however all three remain in contention for Thursday’s game.

Arteta’s squad had been looking depleted in recent weeks, with Martin Ødegaard and David Luiz spending some time on the sidelines, however both are also back in training and the news could prove to be timely as they ramp up their preparations to face off against a Europa League specialist in Emery.

In his latest press conference the Spaniard confirmed that they all had a chance of making the trip:

“They are all in contention. All of them. Including Aubameyang, Laca and Kieran. They are all in contention for the game. Yes [it is good news].”

“He didn’t need the surgery that we were afraid of at the beginning and then he’s been working like a beast every single day. I don’t know if he’s going to make it tomorrow but he certainly wants to be as close as possible to that football pitch to give himself the best possible chance,” Arteta said when asked about Tierney.

He was also asked if he was willing to risk any players considering the importance of the fixture:

“We do need them, because we know that we have some players that are in contention and they are the ones who can make the difference in a big tie like this. But the word risk, I don’t like to put players on the pitch if they can’t perform and they can’t feel secure that they can perform. If it’s a risk or we’re going to take a gamble, then I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.”

Due to how inconsistent they are domestically, only winning one of their last five league games, Arsenal’s priority now lies with them lifting the Europa League to have any ambitions of playing against Europe’s elite clubs next season.

Bernd Leno’s blunder against Everton inflicted their 13th loss of the season and ended any hopes they had of catching Chelsea in fourth, as they currently sit 12 points adrift.

Despite their poor showings in the league, in Europe, Arteta’s men have looked a different side completely, bearing one of the best records in the competition this season.

The North London outfit have scored the most out of any team in the Europa League so far with 32 goals, as Arteta’s switch to his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation looks to be pivotal to this statistic.

Last time out, Arsenal showed how clinical they can be, when they blew Slavia Prague away in the opening 25 minutes and cruised to a comfortable 5-1 aggregate victory.

Emery and his side will certainly have something to prove, following the 49-year-old’s sacking from Arsenal in November 2019. Villarreal have endured issues in terms of inconsistent thus far, currently sitting seventh in La Liga and could face a similar fate in missing out on Europe all together if they are unable to navigate themselves to the final.

The Yellow Submarines are also amongst the top scorers, having netted on 25 occasions, putting them third in this department. In the last round, they comfortably beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-1 on aggregate, thanks to strikes in both legs from Gerard Moreno who’s quickly becoming a key figure at the spearhead of Emery’s attack.

One aspect of the tie that will be worrying the Gunners is the incredible record that their former boss has in the competition.

Emery has won the Europa League on three separate occasions during his time with Sevilla, more than any other manager in history and will be hopeful of joining Jose Mourinho, Bob Paisley and Giovanni Trapattoni as the fourth coach to have won four trophies in Europe’s top two club competitions if he is able to lift it again in May.

So will Arteta and Arsenal salvage some silverware in what’s been a difficult season or will former boss Unai Emery continue his fine record in Europe to put his name amongst some elite managerial company?

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