After a poor performance against Watford, Arsenal will be looking to bounce back with a big performance against German side Eintracht Frankfurt in their first fixture of the Europa League.
The Gunners will need to perform much better than they have in recent weeks if they are to secure the victory against Frankfurt. They are a respected side in the competition after they reached the semi-finals last season, only to be knocked out on penalties by eventual winners Chelsea.
The Bundesliga outfit also had to qualify into the competition this season, meaning their players have already had a taste of the European stage.
One player in particular that the Gunners will need to be aware of is Goncalo Paciencia.
The 25-year-old Portuguese striker has been in very good form at the start of the Bundesliga season, contributing to four goals in four games.
He could cause danger to Arsenal, as this season, the team from North London have faced the most shots from the opposition than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues.
Another impressive stat that could cause problems for Arsenal is that 50% of Paciencia’s shots this season have hit the target, meaning the Arsenal back four cannot allow the striker to have a clear shot on goal because there is a high chance that he will force a save or put the ball in the back of the net.
As well as not letting the Portuguese striker have a clear shot on goal, the Arsenal defence must not allow the striker to bully them as he has a physical side to his game also, which Arsenal have been seen to struggle with in the past. With the Arsenal defence already looking fragile, will he be able to capitalise on this and get himself on the score sheet?
Paciencia averages a goal every 96 minutes, meaning that the Gunners cannot take their eyes off him and make sure that they do not allow him to have a clear cut chance.
If Arsenal are to prevail and obtain all three points against Frankfurt, they will need to make sure that they do not allow Paciencia to grow into the game and allow him to have shots at goal, because this season he has already proven that he is able to find the back of the net if the opportunity arises.
