The Europa League, as a competition, is in many ways an exercise in both immensity and the obscure.
An enormous area from which clubs are drawn, and a whole lot of them.
It’s thanks to that we can enjoy fixtures such as Thursday’s offering – Arsenal vs Vorskla Poltava. A titan of English football preparing to go toe-to-toe with a Ukrainian pretender, appearing in the competition for the first time in six years.
Here’s how Arsenal might line up for the clash with Vorskla:
GK: Bernd Leno
Finally! Petr Cech is due to get the night off, leaving the door ajar for Leno.
RB: Stephan Lichtsteiner
The Swiss full-back arrived at the Emirates with a wealth of European experience, and should thrive in games like these.
CB: Sokratis
Similar to Lichtsteiner, Sokratis can boast a track record of teams some of these other Arsenal players could only dream of.
CB: Shkodran Mustafi
The German centre-half needs confidence, and a clash with lesser opposition could be just the ticket.
LB: Nacho Monreal
Has become a work-horse in the absence of Kolasinac.
DM: Lucas Torreira
Like Leno, Torreira would be making his first Arsenal start on Thursday. Eased into life as a Gunner, the summer signing could make a big impact.
DM: Mohamed Elneny
Pairing Elneny with Torreira would give Unai Emery a good look at what a youthful defensive midfield pairing might be like.
AM: Aaron Ramsey
A rest for Ozil, and another opportunity for the Welshman to prove his worth to the new boss.
RW: Henrikh Mkhitaryan
The winger could feast on the poor Vorskla full-back on Thursday eveining.
ST: Danny Welbeck
A good chance to give the utility attacker a start. Probably a better second choice striker than most teams could claim to have.
LW: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Ideally, this would be a good spot to start Alex Iwobi. However, injuries mean that isn’t possible. Not to worry Arsenal fans – roll your club-record signing out instead.