Team News: Arsenal Starting Lineup to Face Rennes in Europa League Last 16 - Predicted

Arsenal have a tough task ahead of them as they look to overturn a 3-1 deficit suffered in the hands of Rennes last week.

Unai Emery's men took the lead through Alex Iwobi in the third minute but Sokratis' dismissal threw the Gunners off balance, resulting to them conceding thrice.

As difficult as this mission might seem, there is no doubt that the 2-0 win over Manchester United would be a catalyst in the crucial match.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (back injury) is a doubt for the game. As revealed by the Arsenal medical team yesterday, the Armenian will undergo a late test to ascertain his fitness level.

Lucast Torreira will be back for selection after his absence from the squad due to a red card he got against Tottenham Hotspur. His suspension has not ended yet but since he got it in the Premier League, he can play in Europe.

Another plus for the North London side is the availability of Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman missed out of their last two Europa League fixtures after receiving marching orders in the last-32 first leg.

The striker got a three-match ban but after an appeal and review by UEFA, it got reduced to two. He is back and hopefully, he can help us with his clinical vibes in front of goal.

Knowing that the manager would want to get a favourable win by all means, it is expected that he will field a very strong side.

Below is my predicted starting lineup for the Rennes encounter having put some factors into consideration.

Predicted Lineup: Arsenal vs Rennes

Cech

Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal

Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Torreira, Kolasinac

Ramsey, Lacazette, Ozil

If Arsenal pull a comeback and qualify, they will be the second side to do that having lost 3-1 in a Europa League knockout stage fixture. The first time it happened was 2008 when Fulham did that against Juventus.