BATE Borisov vs Arsenal - as it happened: Gunners see out erratic Europa League victory in Belarus
Re-live all the action from the Borisov Arena
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal head to Belarus for the second game of their Europa League campaign where they face BATE Borisov.
In attendance will be Aleksandr Hleb, the former Arsenal midfielder who spent four separate spells with the Belarusian champions, who has been pictured exchanging niceties with Arsene Wenger this week.
Those who won’t be there include Laurent Koscielny, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette who are among a host of senior players to be left at home for this long trip east.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the game…
What time does it start?
The game kicks off at 6pm (BST) at the Borisov Arena on Thursday 28 September.
Where can I watch it?
BT Sport 2 will be broadcasting the game. Alternatively, return to this page for updates from our live blog.
It's a big game for...
Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Arsene Wenger was glowing in his praise of the young midfielder ahead of this game, hinting that he will be given a place in the starting line-up for a second Europa League game running. “He has great quality, he can steal the ball without making fouls,” the Frenchman said. “I’m convinced he is ready to play. He has to improve a little bit on the concentration front because the demands of top level football don’t tolerate some lapses of concentration.” Can he impress his boss even more tonight?
Player to watch…
Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman has never fully convinced as a top quality forward since joining Arsenal in 2012. Now his position has been fully usurped by compatriot Alexandre Lacazette who already looks like a crowd favourite at the Emirates. But Giroud can still provide a top quality second option for the Gunners – and he has scored 99 goals for the club in his time there. A man with a point to prove, with a huge milestone in his sights against weak opposition… expect Giroud to be at the top of his game…
Form…
BATE Borisov: WWDWW
Arsenal: WWDWW
Odds…
BATE Borisov: 5/1
Draw: 16/5
Arsenal: 4/7
GOAL! BATE Borisov 2-4 Arsenal (Gordeychuk, 67 min)
Arsenal took their eye off the ball and have been made to pay the price. The visiting defence failed to properly deal with a delivery from the left, with Gordeychuk reacting first to fire a close-range shot at Ospina. The Colombian stood his ground but the rebound fell back to the player who made sure to bury his second chance from two yards out.
70 min: Chance for BATE! After the ball was worked down the left flank and into the Arsenal box, an unmarked Volodko was on hand to the deal with the subsequent cut-back. He simply had to hold his nerve and it would have been 4-3. Instead, his effort was blasted wide of the right-hand side post. What a chance that was!
73 min: Arsenal corner but it's cleared at the first time of asking. As you were.
75 min: Stasevich gets threaded through in behind the Arsenal defence and only has Ospina to beat from a tight angle on the left. It proves too much for him and he can only fire a hard shot on goal to the right-hand side post, which the Colombian deals with well. The momentum certainly seems to be building in BATE's favour.
82 min: Arsenal's turn to waste a chance in front of goal. It was Walcott who find himself behind BATE's defence and with the space to shot from the right. Taking the ball on the turn, his spinning shot on goal lacked any real firepower and ended up rolling wide of the goal posts.
87 min: BATE are enjoying another sustained period of pressure having spent the last couple of minutes camped out in and around the Arsenal box. The visitors eventually reclaim possession, though, before any testing shot can be made and the danger passes.
90 min: Rios meets the ball on the edge of the Arsenal box after an Ivanic flick-back. He strikes it well but can't keep his effort down. Goalkick to the Gunners.
And that's that. In what turned out to be a somewhat erratic and unpredictable game of football, Arsenal secured the second win of their Europa League campaign. They were undoubtedly the superior side, despite Wenger's choice to field a second-string team. Nonetheless, BATE Borisov certainly made Arsenal work for it after coming to life following their opener. In all, a pleasing result for the visitors that puts them on course to qualify for the knock-out stage.
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