Arsenal News Arsenal opinion

Official Arsenal team to face Rapid Wien – Cedric and Partey both start

Arsenal’s Europa League campaign kicks off this evening and while it is not the competition we would like to be playing in, it is what we have got and a winning start in Austria is imperative.

It will not be an easy game but it is one that Arsenal should be winning and you can take it to the bank that Mikel Arteta will be determined to win the competition.

It should also be noted that the winners of the Europa League gain automatic qualification to next seasons Champions League and so there is that to consider as well.

This is the team that Arteta has gone with

Will Mikel Arteta get a result in Austria this evening with this team?

Leave us your comments below and maybe predict the score at the same time.

Links to streams will be put in the comments where to watch the game live and free so keep checking in.

Also, if you go to the official Arsenal website here you will be able to get live commentary text and radio.

JustArsenal predicted line up (for comparison) here
JustArsenal match preview here

Posted by

Tags arsenal team news Rapid Wien v Arsenal

155 Comments

  2. Disappointed to see AMN on the bench, yet again, but hopefully he and Nelson will get some game time.Is MA playing 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 ?

        1. Arteta should be cautious because he doesn’t have attackers who are excellent in one-on-one situations. Had our attackers not been so frequently dispossessed, I bet Arteta would try a more adventurous formation

          1. But don’t you feel that he is too cautious?? Or sometimes I feel just scared of opponent or just scared of loosing his job

            1. Given that Arteta doesn’t have any attackers who can hold the ball well upfront, he’s not too cautious. Arsenal have bought a towering target man to alleviate that problem though, despite the new striker is still a noob

              1. Well my Point is, RB Leipzig also play 3-4-3 formation and they don’t have towering CF but still they play with lovely fluid free flowing football..
                What’s wrong with our players or Manager??? Can’t understand…

                1. I guess we should wait for the season to end. Maybe we will get to the free flowing style we all want.🙂

        2. forget all the formations. Leno is crap.I’m done with him and this play from the back with him.

  4. Stupid line-up

    1. Leno should be rested
    2. 2 substitute goalkeepers….. Mtcheew
    3. Why is Luis and Gabriel still starting, when Leicester is three days away
    4. Am seeing a back 3 line-up, why are we playing defensively against such opponent

    I want to trust MA really knows what he’s doing now
    Cause he’s starting to look confused

    2. 1. Runarsson just joined, so he isn’t ready for first team action
      2. Better play safe than sorry
      3. Both CBs need more game time and CBs don’t press the opponents all over the pitch, so they should have enough energy to play again after three days
      4. It’s a dynamic formation, 3-4-3 when they don’t have the ball and 4-3-3 when they have

      You’re not a football manager and Arteta has given us two minor trophies in only a short period of time

  6. Again 3-4-3
    Oh God
    Luiz Gabriel Kolasinac
    Cedric Partey Elnenny Saka
    Pépé Eddie Lacazzet

    I hope I am wrong

    2. its a 442 guys… no need to get insightful about player stations….but still why the formation change? i dont know…im sensing emery vibes these couple of weeks from arteta for some reason…lets hope it gets stable soon

  9. Happy to see Cedric back. Hope he has a solid game. Hope to see Partey hitting the ground running.

    Good luck to Arsenal good luck to Mikel. Wishing for him a run a wins so he won’t be the media target because of recent events. When he came last year he looked young but now he looks like he has aged ten years. The job

    1. He does, you’re right. Understandable though, I wouldn’t want the job – the stress of it all!! Used to say that with Arsene also…

  11. Can’t work out for the life of me why either Cedric or Kolasinac would be selected in preference to AMN….whether playing a back three or a back four.

    1. Well of course not, because you dont have all the information just like the rest of us fans, only arteta an co. Do, have faith bud 👌

  13. You are undoubtedly correct and the team are playing with the handicap of only 10 players as Kolasinac is impossible to include other than on paper.A player who’s defensive capabilities do indeed compare to the likes of Stepanovs,Squillaci and Santos before him…and crossing ability compares very favourably to the headless chicken himself “Gervinho”…

  14. The key part is to see how Elneny and Partey will partner, that’s his main goal, because that will be his main partnership deep mid if it works and that will allow us to play various formations. The team should be good enough because it also creates competition for positions, because we now have descent depth that can actually determine the position we finish the league and if we can actually win europa.

  20. Partey looks good. A Partey-Elneny combo for greater solidity is good. Hoped to see Emile but I guess he is not fit enough.
    COYG!

    1. Hope Kolasinac has a good game. He is the only other natural lb we have. Some good form from him would only help the team or attract more suitors in January.

    2. Elneny way to negative player to form a proper partnership with partey … ok in this kind of game but just too pedestrian

      1. He is good at what he does though. He is a traditional CDM. And he does occasionally have a good aerial ball or two in him.

  22. Coming to the conclusion that arteta doesn’t really have a football philosophy .. his teams don’t gel … no clear idea how to connect players so they operate as more than sum of the parts very pedestrian and lacking creativity …partey However looks like the player we need plays off front foot looks for ball good passer physical presence … just not much ahead of him … kind of player ozil needed But sadly that boat has sailed

  25. Its high time y’all realize that our midfield combo will only ever include this three.
    Partey. EINENY ceballos.
    Xhaka can rot in bench for all I care, guy’s too damn slow for my liking.
    Oh… Elneny is becoming a joy to watch😄😄

  27. I thought the man city game was bad but this is even worse. So slow in the build up and rapid looking the much better side also the ref is a toss pot who will book an arsenal player for pulling there socks up

  28. Only arsenal could reach the conclusion that nketiah is good enough for cup squad and ozil isn’t … stupid beyond belief

    1. Yes, agreed. Nketiah first touch is like pub football. Without ozil arsenal look dead, bereft of any attacking ideas. Arteta has to go! Sooner the better..

      1. Yeah he does. It seems he saw yellow in his nightmare. We’ll be fortunate to finish this match no man short.

      2. Yeah blink and you could be off Sue 😂😂 always said Lacazette is a red card waiting to happen so maybe he should come off 😶

  30. Partey is an intelligent midfielder with quick feet, but he needs to calm down. Nketiah needs to cool his head off as well

  31. Wow, that was a pretty turgid half of football. No where to go but up I suppose although I have a strong feeling that Arsenal will have someone sent off for an innocuous second yellow.

  32. Not a single reasonable through pass from this team and yet Ozil isn’t good enough? you guys should keep on deceiving yourselves

  33. So slow…so boring. Our attack is starved of any service. Can’t blame any player for this though its all on arteta and his formation. Until we get another body in midfield i don’t see how we can improve

  36. I just can’t see how or where the goal is going to come from judging from what I’ve seen so far. I hope it changes in the second half.
    And with the manner that referee dishes out yellows, we’ll be fortunate to finish the game with full squad.

  38. Imma be honest

    Rapid are being more adventurousand confident against us.

    Take em down boyz
    Elneny and Partey look super calm and solid.

    The referee is certainly enjoying this game….

    COYG

  39. Arteta’s team always come up with a golden scoring opportunities at the beginning of the match, but none of our players can’t finish it off. I think some subs would score in the second half, if we still have 11 players in the field

      1. I’m an arsenal fan and this is not about proving any point, but when some fans like yourself cannot differentiate between world class and average is the problem. And I haven’t even finished typing but Leno again made another mistake

        1. Mate you still haven’t got over Iwobi leaving and that was 2 years ago ,how long will you hold a grudge about Martinez,support the team and stop your constant moaning about players that don’t want Even play for us anymore .
          On Leno he as been our best player these last 2 years and Arteta thought so to so maybe get behind the team.

          2. “On Leno he as been our best player these last 2 years ”

            Says more about how below par the present set of players have been rather than Leno being great..dont you think..

            1. But he has been our best player Mark so I don’t get what your trying to say ,as you have just agreed with me .
              So because the other players have been below par that it doesn’t make it less true ?
              I would rather trust our manager and his decisions or would you say he got it wrong .

  45. If there is no improvement by Xmas … I can’t see arteta staying beyond this season … this is amongst the worst performances in a decade of some pretty awful performances and there is simply no indication of him building a footballing team

    2. Havnt watched any of the game but came to read here and looks like we have been terrible and now 1-0 down to Rapid Vienna. Wow

  51. All I see tonight is what I’ve come to expect from this team over the years. No surprises so far..

    1. Iv said it in previous articles selling Martinez was a mistake, should’ve started as he finished as no1 and Leno be second choice until form drops.

      1. I said before Martinez left that he deserved to start for Arsenal! But the club wanted the cash and Martinez wanted games.. There you go then!

  54. Every time I go to stream a match, I tune in just in time to see a goal being scored. What was Leno thinking? He isn’t better with the ball at his feet than Martinez, but mistakes can happen and he is our number one!

    Why is Arteta being criticised about his team selection? He appears to be juggling injuries/player fatigue and doesn’t have the playing staff he would really like.

    Give him more time and much more respect please!!!!!!!

  58. Over-tinkering Killed Unai

    Things Were Gathering For Him, Then He Started To Think He Was A Master-Tactician & Pushed The Team’s Belief Off The Cliff

    Arteta Had Something That Could Find A Way To Beat Man City & Liverpool – Instead Of Him To Allow That Develop Into Multiple Ways

    He’s Started To Over-Tinker

    We Might Still Get Something Here

    Ceballos Has No Substitute In This Team Presently

  59. I believe that Ozil was the soul of the team. Our team looks like ghost team now. MA didn’t learn from His mentor.

    Their manner of play is clueless.

  61. Good one lol. I hope Arteta would try out players like Nelson, AMN, Smith rowe (if fit). Atleast they would get play time…

  75. So, what did we learn from that game?..

    We need Auba, Leno is suspect, Partey is class, Our squad is big but not great in quality and Pepe is getting better!

    Painful to watch until the subs were made. The result is the main thing though. It’s win away which wasn’t looking likely!

    1. I think we also learnt Bellerin is better than a Cedric and Elneny is far better than anyone ever thought.

  77. Looks to be a good partnership between Elneney & Partey.
    Referee was crap, but fortunately was equally crap for both sides.

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors