It is a big day for Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side as they prepare to face Slavia Prague in the Europa League quarter-final first leg.
Arteta’s side will welcome the Czech Republic outfit to the Emirates Stadium tonight for a crucial game in the north London club’s season, with Arsenal currently ten points off a top four spot and looking unlikely to qualify for Europe via the Premier League, as things stand.
As such, winning the Europa League is set to be their best opportunity of reaching the Champions League next season, with the Gunners now in the last eight of the competition.
Arteta has made no secret of the significance of the game for his side, admitting before the tie that he and his players know just how important it is for the club.
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But Arteta is set to be without a number of key players for the game, with full-back Kieran Tierney facing up to six weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury, while Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard is a doubt for the game with an ankle issue.
In addition, David Luiz is out with a knee injury, although Arteta could welcome back Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, and Granit Xhaka is set to return to the squad after missing the 3-0 defeat against Liverpool on Saturday through illness.
Meanwhile, Arteta could give opportunities to other players within his squad, as he has previously done in the Europa League this season.
And 18-year-old Miguel Azeez could be one of those, with the teenager taking to social media to post ahead of the game.
Azeez has included a picture of himself in an Arsenal shirt on his Instagram story, with the time and date of the quarter-final first leg tie with Slavia Prague.
This could suggest that he will be involved in the matchday squad for the tie, with Azeez one of several youngsters who have been involved in first team training with Arsenal in recent weeks.
He was joined by Nikolaj Moller, Folarin Balogun, Tim Akinola, Catalin Cirjan, Ryan Alebiosu and George Lewis in training with the first team prior to the weekend clash with Liverpool.
Azeez has featured once for Arsenal at first team level this season, coming off the bench to make his debut in the Europa League against Dundalk in December.
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The teenager played the final seven minutes of the Gunners’ 4-2 win in Ireland after replacing Joe Willock.
But he could now be set for another taste of the European competition, with his post hinting that he could be involved at the Emirates Stadium tonight.
It is unlikely that he would start against Slavia Prague, but he could be among the substitutes for Arteta, which would be further experience for the talented young midfielder.