Molde V Arsenal: injuries reach a new height and playing in front of a crowd

This compares with Arsenal of late

Molde play in a stadium with a capacity of 11,800 but because of the pandemic they are playing to crowds limited to 300 – with of course every match sold out.

The BBC tell us that the temperature during the game will be about 4 degrees, with around a 15% chance of rain.

Arsenal have taken a number of junior players to the match including Miguel Azeez, Ben Cottrell, and Folarin Balogun (who played in the win over Dundalk).

On the “unavailable players” front we have now leaped to the top of the league table.

• Arsenal: 8
• Aston Villa: 8
• Brighton and Hove Albion 8
• Liverpool: 8
• Manchester United: 7
• Newcastle United: 7
• Crystal Palace: 6

So that moment of respite as we slipped right down the injury table has vanished alongside our form.  Although of course some senior players would have been excused the trip to Norway anyway, here’s the full list of men down or otherwise unavailable.  The figures are as ever from physioroom.com

Arsenal are one of just four teams who have a 100% record half way through the group stages of the Europa league, the others being Leicester City, Hoffenheim and Villareal.  So while our group looks pretty well sorted before part two of the campaign, some are anything but. Zagreb for example top group nine with just five points.   In Tottenham’s group three teams are on six points.

Here’s our group:

One more win would see us qualify with two games spare, meaning we could really give the youngsters even more of a chance in the remaining two matches.

Team news shortly…

•  Optimism to succeed and the case of Pepe
• Farewell honeymoon, the knives are now out for Arteta.
• Arsenal: a decade of mismanagement? How does the evidence stack up?
• Arsenal: we have a problem, but the proposed solution is a problem also