Arsenal vs. Red Star: This is how they played
It was surprising to see Arsenal without Alexis Sánchez on Thursday afternoon in the Europa League. The Chilean forward was not taken into account by Arsene Wenger for the match against Red Star in Belgrade for the 3rd matchday of Group H. Although the 'gunners' won 1-0, they did not do so until the final minutes.
In fact, the English team had to wait until the 85th minute to secure the victory. A great goal from Olivier Giroud, after a play started by Jack Wilshere, allowed the London team to take the three points from Stadion Rajko Mitić.
During the 90 minutes, the match was fought between Arsenal and Red Star. Even the locals had the chance to win, but they were not accurate in front of Petr Cech's goal.
With the result, Wenger's team is at the top of their group with nine points. Red Star, on the other hand, remains with four points.
Arsenal vs. Red Star: Lineups
Red Star: Borjan; Stojkovic, Le Tallec, Savic, Rodic; Krsticic, Donald, Kanga, Srnic; Radonjic and Boakye.
Arsenal: Cech; Debuchy, Elneny, Holding; Nelson, Coquelin, Willock, Maitland-Niles, Wilshere; Walcott and Giroud.
PRE-MATCH
Arsene Wenger's men lost to Watford (2-1) last weekend, and are already 9 points behind the leader, Manchester City, making the upcoming match against Everton in Liverpool crucial. A victory against Red Star's home would present a more than encouraging scenario.
| Country | Time |
| Peru | 12:00 |
| Mexico | 12:00 |
| Colombia | 12:00 |
| Ecuador | 12:00 |
| Argentina | 14:00 |
| Chile | 14:00 |
Alexis Sanchez's Arsenal comes from a 4-2 victory against Bate Borisov and a 3-1 win over Cologne in the Europa League, which also keeps the Londoners at the top with 6 points. They will face the Serbian football club, which is currently in second place in the tournament after a victory and a draw.
For this unprecedented clash in Europe, Arsene Wenger would start Alexis Sanchez with the goal of defending their leading position and securing the three away points, as the return leg will be at the Emirates Stadium on November 2nd. A victory there would guarantee them passage to the next stage.
Arsenal would start the match with Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, who will rotate with the Czech Petr Cech, and with some of their regular starters on the bench, considering the match against Everton on October 22nd for the Premier League. A more than interesting match!
Red Star vs. Arsenal: Probable lineups of the match.
Red Star: Borjan; Le Tallec, Krstišic, Kanga, Boakye, Babic, Donald (c), Stojkovic, Radonjic, Srnic, Gobeljic
Arsenal: Ospina; Holding, Mertesacker, Mustafi; Nelson, Willock, Elneny, Maitland-Niles; Walcott, Sánchez, and Giroud.
Celebrations for Chile's non-qualification for the 2018 World Cup