Former Arsenal striker Charlie Nicholas admits he is concerned about the club’s defensive strength but has predicted a positive result against Napoli.
The Gunners saw their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League suffer a blow following a 1-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday, which raises the importance of the Europa League clash on Thursday.
Victory in the continental competition would hand Arsenal an alternative route into next season’s Champions League but a tough test lies ahead for Unai Emery’s side against Serie A giants Napoli.
However, despite the wealth of attacking threat the Italian side possess and Arsenal’s shaky defence, Nicholas is predicting a 3-1 win for the Gunners - but he has sent a message to Emery ahead of the game.
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“Our home form is excellent, so I am pretty confident when we play at home. I have not been confident and never will be with this team defensively. They do not know how to defend,” he told Sky Sports.
“Napoli are not brilliant. They had a draw at home at the weekend and are second in Serie A, but are not as strong as they used to be.
“Unai Emery - please just play Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. He said how they are a strong combination but he is not playing them together. I don't get the decision to play Mohamed Elneny and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
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“Aubameyang, Lacazette, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil must start together on Thursday, and if they do, Arsenal will win.”
Should Arsenal successfully navigate through their two-legged affair against Napoli, they could face a familiar foe in the semi-finals as Nicholas also expects Chelsea to sweep aside Sparta Prague.
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