Standard Liege vs Arsenal 13/12/19

13 December 2019

Standard Liege and Arsenal go head-to-head at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne for the final match of the UEFA Europa League (EL) Group F.

The hosts desperately need a victory to qualify for the knockout stage, as they sit two points adrift of second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt and three below section-toppers Arsenal. A four-goal win would propel the Belgium outfit to the elimination stage regardless of the outcome of Frankfurt’s clash against Guimaraes. However, a 4-0 defeat in London in the reverse fixture has been the 13th time in 15 competitive encounters with the Premier League sides that Les Rouges have failed to pick up a win. Michel Preud’homme’s men have, nonetheless, won both of their EL home matches this term, scoring two goals apiece across those triumphs while conceding one in total. What’s more, they have won five successive EL home group stage games and have also racked up an 11-game unbeaten run in European home matches (W7, D4).

As for the visitors, they need to avoid a four-goal defeat to seal a place in the knockout stage. That’s mainly thanks to their recent dip in form that has seen Arsenal go from three straight EL wins to back-to-back matches without a triumph (D1, L1). Freddie Ljungberg has a notable recent record in Belgium to rely on here, as the Gunners have won three of their last four trips to the country. The North Londoners also boast a solid overall away record in Europe’s second-tier competition, having won ten of 16 such fixtures (W10, D2, L4). Four of their five EL group stage matches this season have featured three or more goals, with three of them seeing both teams score.