Arsenal will aim to continue their perfect start to proceedings in Europa

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Arsenal will aim to continue their perfect start to proceedings in Europa League Group A when they travel to Norway to meet Bodo/Glimt on Thursday evening. The two sides reconvene after the Gunners ran out 3-0 winners last week, which has left Kjetil Knutsen’s side battling with PSV Eindhoven for second place in the standings.

Bodø/Glimt have a chance to avenge last week’s 3-0 defeat away to Arsenal and keep alive their hopes of making it to the knockout phase of this season’s UEFA Europa League (UEL) competition. They start the round two points behind their opponents and PSV (W1, D1, L1), despite having played a game more, so this really is a game they’ll need a positive result from if they want to emulate last season’s Europa Conference League run which went all the way to the quarter-finals.

The Norwegian champions did bounce back from last week’s UEL loss by securing their second successive domestic 4-1 win at the weekend. That would have handed them a timely confidence boost, as should their dominant home record in Europe, winning each of their last 14 European home games with an impressive combined goal difference (GF42, GA5).

That form at home indicates this isn’t guaranteed to be a walk in the park for Arsenal, yet they must feel like they’re in unstoppable form after defeating last season’s Premier League runners-up Liverpool on Sunday 3-2 to reclaim the top spot and secure their tenth win from their opening 11 competitive matches (L1). Each of the last five wins in that streak saw the North London club score first and inside the opening 30 minutes, so don’t be shocked to see them fly out the traps again here.

While the hosts have a proud home record to protect, Arsenal have a good away one of their own in the group stages of this competition that they will be keen to extend. The Gunners have not lost any of their last ten competition away encounters at this stage (W8, D2), winning the last four in that run and scoring 2+ goals in the process.

Date: 13/10/2022
Time: 19:45
Venue: Aspmyra Stadion (Bodø)
Pick for this match:
“2” – @ 1.47(BETWAY )