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Arsenal fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Everton over the weekend and that result impacted their hopes of a top-four finish. Meanwhile, Napoli are en route to finishing in second place in the Serie A despite drawing with Genoa. The two sides will battle it out in the Europa League quarterfinals, with the first leg to be played at the Emirates.
Following the loss to Everton, fans are slightly pessimistic about Arsenal's chances of beating Gli Azzurri. The Italian side have players such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Lorenzo Insigne who will make the battle between both the sides extremely interesting. Arsenal loanee David Ospina cannot play in the goal against in parent club. Thus far, the keeper has done well in Italy and Ancelotti could be tempted to play him against the Gunners.
Here are three reasons to consider why Arsenal will beat their opponents this Thursday.
#3 Emery's experience in Europa League
When the manager was at Sevilla, he helped the club to three consecutive Europa League titles. There is no doubt that he has loads of experience in the competition and knows exactly the tactics that he should use to play against a big club like Napoli.
It is crucial that Arsenal secure victory in this tie as it will give the team a boost after their defeat to Everton at Goodison Park. Additionally, given the Gunners' poor form away from home, it will be risky if Arsenal do not win by a huge margin in the upcoming clash.
Both managers are in their first season of managing their respective clubs. Napoli are all but guaranteed qualification into next season's UEFA Champions League as they currently sit second in the Serie A table standings.
As for Arsenal, they dropped to fifth following Chelsea's victory over West Ham and face a tough fight to finish in the top four. Emery would have to throw all his cards out to win this tie and this competition. With this in mind, it could motivate the Gunners to beat Napoli and advance.
#2 Arsenal's Home Form
The Gunners are simply too good at home. In the EPL, only Manchester City have picked up more points than the Gunners in home matches. Emirates has now become a fortress for the North London club, where they beat Manchester United to end their unbeaten streak and also overcame Rennes in the second-leg of the Round of 16 clashes.
The last time the Gunners lost at home was in February to the Cityzens. Since then, they have conceded just two goals at home and won every single game there. Napoli would surely find it difficult to beat Emery's side when they play in England and the odds are favoring Arsenal.
Emery has the capability of motivating his side even if they concede a goal first. Should that be the case on Thursday night, with the support of the fans and the newfound mentality in the players, it is hard to envision Arsenal going down without a fight. With this home ground advantage, the Gunners are favorites to win this tie.
#3 Arsenal's superior attacking force
The Gunners have scored 65 goals this season, the most out of the teams competing for a top-four finish in the EPL. On the other hand, Napoli have scored 58 goals, a handful fewer than their upcoming opponents. The likes of Aaron Ramsey, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang all have the capabilities of troubling Napoli's defence. Ancelotti ought to be wary of the attacking threat that Arsenal will pose in the game.
On their day, the Gunners can go into a goal-scoring spree. However, if Emery's side were to play like they did against Everton and go without scoring a goal, it could spell trouble for the team. Considering that Arsenal playing at home, chances are that they will go on to score but it boils down to how many are they capable of scoring.
If they play a high-intensity football match and are accurate with their passing, then the Gunners will only be a step away from victory.
