Girona vs Arsenal

Estadio Municipal de Montilivi as Girona and Arsenal go head-to-head in a lopsided Champions League contest.

With nothing but pride left to play for after a 1-0 defeat at AC Milan in the penultimate round condemned Girona to their sixth loss in seven league-phase outings, the hosts will bid farewell to the Champions League after this match. However, they hope to waltz away in style, considering this is their first-ever appearance at Europe’s top table. Three consecutive defeats in all competitions hardly bode well for Michel’s quest to upset the apple cart. Girona could make unwanted history this midweek as they could become the first side from Europe’s top-five leagues to lose five successive Champions League games without scoring. That’s not out of the realm of possibility after they failed to find the net in two of their last four competitive home fixtures (W1, L3).

On the other hand, Arsenal maintained their feeble pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool with a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton last weekend, building on a 3-0 rout of Dinamo Zagreb in the penultimate Champions League round. Mikel Arteta’s men are on the verge of securing a coveted top-eight finish after winning five of their first seven European games this term (D1, L1), including a 5-1 demolition of Sporting CP on their last continental travel. As a result, the Gunners could win back-to-back away games in Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since December 2016. They’re seemingly in pole position to achieve that feat as they enter this round amid a four-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (W3, D1).