Napoli vs Arsenal
Europa League 2018-19
Quarter-final, second leg (2-0 agg)
Venue: Stadio San Paolo, Naples
Date: Thursday, 18 April, 2019
Kick-off: 8pm GMT
Arsenal head to Naples for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash boasting a 2-0 advantage following a comfortable victory in London last week.
The Gunners dominated at the Emirates as an Aaron Ramsey effort and Kalidou Koulibaly own goal secured the win inside 25 minutes, though they were prevented from putting the tie beyond doubt thanks to an impressive display from visiting goalkeeper Alex Meret.
You wonder if last season's semi-finalists will be made to regret such profligacy in southern Italy against a Napoli team that, backed by a strong crowd, are unbeaten at the Stadio San Paolo in European competition this term under Carlo Ancelotti, scoring 10 goals and conceding only twice in five contests.
They have lost just once on their own patch in Serie A - against reigning champions Juventus in March.
Arsenal's away-day troubles have been well-documented in 2018-19, though they held on to beat 10-man Watford 1-0 at Vicarage Road on Monday night - a result that saw them return to the Premier League's top four.
Arsenal team news and line-ups
Napoli XI: Meret, Maksimovic, Chiriches, Koulibaly, Ghoulam, Callejon, Allan, Zielinski, Fabian, Insigne, Milik
Subs: Ospina, Hysaj, Malcuit, Mario Rui, Verdi, Younes, Mertens
Arsenal XI: Cech, Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal, Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Ramsey, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Subs: Leno, Mustafi, Elneny, Guendouzi, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Iwobi
Score prediction: Napoli 2-1 Arsenal
Napoli surely will not repeat their inept first-half display on home turf, where they are typically formidable and prolific.
Arsenal's away form was notably shaky before Monday and even then they could easily have been pegged back by 10-man Watford, who twice hit the woodwork and created plenty of chances.
The Gunners will likely need an away goal and are simply not good enough defensively to sit back and invite too much pressure.
They may lose on the night but still squeeze through to the last four, where either Valencia or Villarreal will await.
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