Arsenal Manager Unai Emery has hinted Mesut Ozil could return to the side that take on Qarabag in the Europa League this night. Arsenal have already booked their spot in the knockout stages, meaning Emery is likely to give plenty of youngsters an outing at the Emirates – as he did against Vorskla Poltava in Kiev last month.
But Ozil has been out with a back injury since the win at Bournemouth on November 25 and could be eased back into action against the Azerbaijani side. “After his injuries, he is OK,” said Emery. “He is in the group for tomorrow – we need him to help us with his quality.
“Tomorrow is the first game after these injuries, when he can help us. “Tomorrow is a good day for a lot of players – in the group we are first but we want to win, and also with a good performance.”
Ainsley Maitland-Niles will again be in the line-up – and Emery is looking forward to seeing more from the talented 21-year-old. “He is coming back after big injuries and he is training with good commitment,” said Emery. “We need to see him on the pitch. “His performance gets better every day in training, but we need him in the games like tomorrow. “He had a good game in Kiev and I need to see him in more matches. “He can help us as a left-back or a left winger and tomorrow I think he will play left-back.”