Arsenal vs Rennes: 5 key players in another unnecessary nail-biter

It’s deja vu all over again as Arsenal have to face another Europa League opponent with a deficit to overturn. Here are five key players to take down Rennes.

Well, here we are again. I never thought, after Arsenal lost to BATE Borisov, that we would be right back in the exact same situation against Rennes. All signs pointed to a team that was in a different mindset, capable of not repeating.

But then again, it was largely down to the Sokratis red card that the match fell apart. Prior to that, it was looking like smooth sailing. He left, the Gunners went down to ten men, and just like that, they fell apart like a crumbly biscuit.

Thankfully, the Gunners snatched that one early away goal, meaning that as long as we win 2-0, we go through to the net round. 3-1 means we go to extra time, and you know the rest. It’s an uphill battle, yes, but it’s so far from insurmountable.

Especially considering that this match is at the Emirates, which has become a veritable fortress in recent weeks (and months), with the Gunners finding it extraordinarily hard to drop points at home.

Winning 2-0, 3-0, hell, 4-0 against a midtable Ligue 1 side is not going to be a big ask. I mean, we beat a steamrolling Manchester United 2-0 at home, so what is Rennes compared to them?

That doesn’t mean it will be easy though, because it is never easy. So let’s talk about the five key guys that can make this a lot easier to handle.

We start with No. 5.

5. Lucas Torreira

Having been suspended from the Premier League fixture against Manchester United thanks to a rather unfortunate red card against Tottenham, Lucas Torreira is going to be in a rip-roaring mood to get back out there, and Rennes is his first chance to do so.

If we can avoid any unnecessary stresses in this match, it will make things a hell of a lot easier, and that means cutting out attacks before they can cause us stress. That falls largely in Torreira’s domain, as he’s our midfield warder.

Get a good match from him and the stress levels will drop significantly.

On to No. 4.