Arsenal begin their Europa League campaign at home to FC Vorskla on Thursday, and will hope to get off to a winning start under three-time winner of the competition Unai Emery.

Emery picked up the trophy three times in three seasons with Sevilla, from 2013/14 to 2015/16. After that he spent a couple of seasons in the Champions League with PSG, but now he has the chance to win the Europa League for a fourth time, which would make him the outright most successful manager in the history of the competition.

First up is a team not many Arsenal fans will have heard of before the draw, Vorskla, and Emery will likely rotate his team as a result. With four games in the next 10 days, he doesn’t have much choice.

Let’s have a look at our predictions to start the match:

2Midfield

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18: Matteo Guendouzi of Arsenal chases the ball during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on August 18, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 18: Matteo Guendouzi of Arsenal chases the ball during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on August 18, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Ainsley Maitland-Niles is still out, whilst Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka will likely get rests. Both played for their countries over the international break, before starting against Newcastle, with another game against Everton on Sunday.

That leaves Matteo Guendouzi, Mohamed Elneny, Lucas Torreira and Emile Smith Rowe fighting for three spots.

My guess is Torreira will be saved for the weekend, given how well he’s working with Xhaka in the Premier League. Guendouzi and Elneny will pair up at the base of midfield, with Smith Rowe given his first senior opportunity ahead of them.

The 18-year-old was impressive in pre-season, and Emery has already shown with Guendouzi that he’s willing to reward that.