Arsenal take on BATE Borisov in the Europa League later today with the competition growing in importance as each week passes.
With the race for top four really heating up and the Gunners looking like outsiders considering the form Manchester United are in, winning the Europa League could now be their best bet in their quest for Champions League qualification making a good result at the Borisov Arena imperative.
And one man who can ensure the above is achieved is Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Mkhitaryan has not made the sort of impact in the Premier League Arsenal supporters would have hoped for following his move from Manchester United last January.
However, in the Europa League, the 30-year-old can sometimes look like a different animal giving fans of the north London club one reason to be confident going into this evening’s game.
At both Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund, Mkhitaryan was impressive in front of goal as he went on to help the former win the tournament, scoring in the final in the process.
The attacking midfielder also heads into the fixture knowing a performance is needed as he fights for a first-team spot with Alex Iwobi only going up in Unai Emery’s thinking following his goal and overall display in a recent 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town.
The pressure is now on for Mkhitaryan to perform not only tonight, but going forward with Arsenal still having so much to play for.
