Arsenal’s Europa League season starts on Thursday when they play FC Zurich in Switzerland. This is their first game in Group A. The Swiss team came from pot four in the competition, which means they should be the weakest of the teams the Gunners will face.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take them seriously. Mikel Arteta is hopeful that they will do well in the competition that’s coming up. He will also be hoping that his team can bounce back from their first loss of the Premier League season, a 3-1 loss to Manchester United on Sunday.
When asked if the loss would stick with him, the Spaniard told the press, “No, it won’t. That won’t happen because the performance is good and we know what we were missing today to lose the game: the details.
“You are here, and you have a very different performance with the same result. It’s hard to take because it makes you question your level. I don’t think there’s any doubt about how high it is.”
Now that midweek games and European nights are back on Arteta’s mind, he has to figure out how to balance that with his squad options. Since then, the roster for Arsenal’s game against Zurich has been posted on the official UEFA website. However, there is one player missing who stands out.
That player is Bukayo Saka, who doesn’t seem to be signed up for the game even though he is the only good right-winger on the first team. But that doesn’t mean he won’t have something to do with the game in some way.
That’s because the young player can be put on something called a “B list,” which lets younger players join the team and help without taking up a spot. This seems to be what Chelsea and Liverpool did with striker Armando Broja and midfielders Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, respectively.
It’s still not clear what Saka’s role will be, especially given how busy he is and how few options there are on the right this season. But he might still play some games with the team.
