Arsenal, PSV game postponed due to mourning of Queen
Arsenal’s Europa League clash with PSV Eindhoven on Thursday has been postponed due to a lack of police resources in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death last week. A huge police operation is required in London this week with the queen to lie in state between Wednesday and her funeral on Monday, September 19.
“The Uefa Europa League tie between Arsenal FC and PSV Eindhoven, originally to be played on Thursday 15 September, has been postponed with a new date to be communicated in due course,” Uefa said in a statement on Monday.
“This is due to the severe limitations on police resources and organisational issues related to the ongoing events surrounding the national mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
All football matches in England and Scotland were postponed over the weekend following the death of the queen on Thursday.
Arsenal’s Premier League visit to Brentford on Sunday is also in doubt due to the strain on police resources.
The Gunners face a fixture pile-up in a campaign already set to be interrupted by a first ever winter World Cup.
Outside the upcoming international break, Mikel Arteta’s men are due to play every midweek before the World Cup break begins on November 13.
The group stages of Uefa’s club competitions are due to finish on November 3 with the draws for the knockout stages on November 7.
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Manchester United to bounce back against Sheriff Tiraspol
Manchester United kicked their UEL campaign off with a home defeat to Real Sociedad and will be keen to bounce back against Sheriff Tiraspol.Sheriff have consistently been punching above their weight over recent seasons in the elite European competitions, and next up they’ll look to claim another scalp by beating Manchester United.
The Moldovan’s have won their last three matches and led 1-0 at the interval in each of those, so they’ll want to come flying out of the blocks.
They’re the clear underdogs coming into this one but they defied that status last season when they beat Real Madrid in the Champions League and will be confident they can do so again.
Erik ten Hag’s side have had plenty of time to mull over their opening loss to Real Sociedad as the passing of Queen Elizabeth II saw UK matches postponed over the weekend, giving them a week to assess what went wrong.
Manchester United are favourites and should find a way to score. But their defence is unconvincing to say the least, and if they underestimate Sheriff, it could be another tough night on the European stage.
Credit: sportinglife.com
Jose Mourinho’s Roma welcome HJK Helsinki
Both beaten on the opening day of the Europa League group stage, Roma and Finnish champions HJK Helsinki meet at Stadio Olimpico on Thursday, aiming to get off the mark with a win.
While the hosts lost to Ludogorets in Bulgaria, their visitors were suffering a 2-0 defeat against Real Betis, who are now favourites to top Group C.
Having made few changes to his side for last week’s Europa League opener, Jose Mourinho was surely expecting a continuation of Roma’s continental form from last season, in which they went all the way in the inaugural Europa Conference League and lifted the trophy in Tirana.
However, with their game against Ludogorets still goalless inside the final 20 minutes, the Giallorossi imploded for the second time in a matter of days, having just lost 4-0 to Udinese in Serie A.
Roma are therefore on the back foot already, and pressure to produce another result to follow Monday’s 2-1 win over Empoli is certainly building.
In contrast to their illustrious hosts’ home record in Europe, HJK Helsinki travel to Italy having faltered in the Finnish capital just last week, against Real Betis.
While HJK’s players will have been anticipating their trip to Rome since the draw was first made, they are set to return home empty-handed due to the gulf in resources available to both coaches. Even if Jose Mourinho rotates his squad, the hosts can record their first Group C win.
Midtjylland, Lazio battle it out for three points
After experiencing different fortunes on the first day of the Europa League group stage, FC Midtjylland and Lazio will battle it out for three points at the MCH Arena on Thursday.
While the visitors swept aside Feyenoord in their opening Group H fixture last week, the hosts suffered an early setback in Austria; losing 1-0 to Sturm Graz.
Though Maurizio Sarri was dismayed to then concede two goals in the final 20 minutes, his side took a positive first step towards securing a top-two place in Group H and, with it, Lazio’s place in the knockout phase for an eighth time.
However, their exit to Porto in the playoff round of last season’s competition came after another defeat away from home: Lazio have won just one of their last 13 games on the road in Europe; losing eight times in the process.
Since Sarri’s reign in Rome began last year, the Aquile have been particularly inconsistent when leaving the Italian capital, so may travel to Jutland in some trepidation despite earning their third win of the Serie A season on Sunday, at home to Verona.
Having been eliminated at the group stage of last season’s Europa League, Midtjylland started their latest campaign in the competition with the clear aim of going further this time around.
Back on the winning trail during the past week, and able to score from a variety of sources, Lazio should take advantage of their hosts’ brittle confidence to post a second straight victory in Group H.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
