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Arsenal Vs Eintracht Frankfurt: 5 key players to watch – Fountains of youth

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 28: Reiss Nelson of Arsenal in action during the Emirates Cup match between Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais at the Emirates Stadium on July 28, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 28: Reiss Nelson of Arsenal in action during the Emirates Cup match between Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais at the Emirates Stadium on July 28, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Reiss Nelson
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 28: Reiss Nelson of Arsenal in action during the Emirates Cup match between Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais at the Emirates Stadium on July 28, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

Arsenal open up their Europa League campaign on Thursday night when they travel to Eintracht Frankfurt. Here are five key players to watch.

As is often the case during a long and arduous season, Unai Emery is expected to rotate through his squad as Arsenal embark on their European endeavours for another campaign. The Gunners start with a trip to Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night. It is an intriguing fixture with Emery having several selection dilemmas to solve prior to kick-off.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Unai Emery out?

With that in mind, here are five key players to watch ahead of the Europa League opener.

Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
WATFORD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 15: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal (14) scores his team’s first goal past Ben Foster of Watford during the Premier League match between Watford FC and Arsenal FC at Vicarage Road on September 15, 2019 in Watford, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

5. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Alexandre Lacazette’s injury has changed the way that Unai Emery must handle the coming weeks. The striker’s absence, which is expected to be about a month, means that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now the only fit, senior centre-forward in the squad. That is a precarious place to be in, to say the least.

Aubameyang will likely start as the lone centre-forward on Thursday night, given that he is the only striker named in the travelling squad. Whenever he takes the field, he is a key player to watch, such is his relentless goalscoring threat. But he is listed here for another, more concerning reason: injury.

Given Lacazette’s month-long absence, Arsenal cannot afford for Aubameyang to suffer an injury. He is crucial to the team at the best of times. Right now, he is utterly essential. Any missed match would thrust the striker position into disarray. If Arsenal ever get into a comfortable lead in this fixutre, then, Aubameyang should be withdrawn as soon as possible.