Arsenal face German side FC Koln tonight in their first Europa League game of the 2017/18 season.
It’s the first time that the Gunners have missed out on playing in the Champions League since Arsene Wenger became manager. The side won the FA Cup last season but also finished outside of the top four.
This season started pretty poorly for Arsenal, with on win and two losses in August before the international break. A 3-0 win against Bournemouth last weekend should help give the side some needed confidence, however.
Many key players are being rested tonight ahead of the league game against defending champions Chelsea this weekend. The likes of Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka and Alexandre Lacazette were not involved in training on Wednesday.
FC Koln have had an even worse start to their season. The side are bottom of the Bundesliga after losing their first three games, including a 3-0 loss to FC Augsburg last weekend. They also have to travel to Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.
Here’s the XI I think will start for the Gunners against FC Koln, using the 3-4-2-1 formation.
