Arsenal book their place in the Europa League quarter-finals with a 5-1 aggregate win over AC Milan as their stars now go into Fantasy storage until the start of next month.
Danny Welbeck, with a brace, and Granit Xhaka scored the goals in a 3-1 win at the Emirates that had more than a hint of good fortune about it.
The Gunners went behind just after the half-hour mark, but the visitors’ lead lasted a mere four minutes when Welbeck was supposedly fouled in the penalty area and he picked himself up to dispatch the resultant spot-kick.
It was, by any and all standards, a terrible decision by the match officials and knocked much of the stuffing out of the Milan side.
A goalkeeping error allowed Xhaka’s long-range effort to find its way into the net after the break before Welbeck sealed the deal late on with a header from an Aaron Ramsey rebound.
With no FA Cup action and a Gameweek 31 blank this weekend, Arsenal won’t play again until the visit of Stoke City on April 1, giving us plenty of time to assess the merits of their key assets for what is a very favourable domestic run-in.
A trip to Man United in Gameweek 36 will be tough, but the rest of the fixtures are eminently winnable for a side that has regained some form and confidence after a run of four defeats in all competitions.
Following the Stoke match, the Gunners will entertain Southampton before a probable double Gameweek 34 involving trips to Newcastle and Leicester City.
That will be their only double, although the subsequent fixtures (WHU mun BUR hud) still offer the prospect of decent returns and could play a part in our Gameweek 32 Wildcards.
The issue for Fantasy managers is gauging the extent of Arsene Wenger’s rotation to maximise their chances of winning the Europa League – their only route into qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
There were only four survivors from the side that started the 3-0 win over Watford last Sunday – Shkodran Mustafi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mesut Ozil and Xhaka.
One change was enforced, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains ineligible for the Europa League. At the back, however, Wenger essentially played his first-choice defence – both Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin were passed fit to return, while Laurent Koscielny – rested against the Hornets along with Ramsey – was also named on the teamsheet.
The French centre-half was then forced off with a back problem, although Wenger played down the severity of the problem post-match.
“He got a kick on his back. We don’t think it’s bad, but he cramped up and he couldn’t go on.”
Those home matches with Stoke, Southampton, West Ham and Burnley might tempt some into considering an Arsenal defender for their Wildcard and Gameweek 35 Free Hit teams.
But the Gunners’ clean sheet against Watford was their first in the league since Gameweek 18 and, having rode their luck in the first leg with Milan, the backline was not wholly convincing last night either.
It is further up the field where Fantasy interest in their assets lies, with Aubameyang the strongest candidate as we shop for replacements for Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero.
He has three goals and an assist from his five league starts and while Wenger is highly likely to shuffle his pack for the Europa League quarter-finals on April 5 and 12, the striker cannot be saved for Europe.
The first leg of the tie is sandwiched between the home matches with Stoke and Southampton – ideal fixtures, you would think, for Wenger to rest key players.
The conclusion of the quarter-final comes between the Saints match-up and a trip to Newcastle. Again, that should allow the manager plenty of scope to field a weaker league team without necessarily jeopardising the result.
Should Arsenal make it to the Europa League semi-finals, the two legs will be played on April 26 and May 3, with the trip to Old Trafford coming in between, which suggests the home matches with West Ham and Burnley either side of that could be rotation hot spots.
Mkhitaryan (7.7) went into last night’s match with back-to-back goals to his name, while Ramsey (6.9) also scored in the first leg of the tie. However, the latter has now been rested in back-to-back league matches as Wenger looks to preserve his fitness.
Meanwhile, Ozil (9.3) had produced three assists across his previous two starts in all competitions but was subdued last night.
How Wenger sets up his side for the Stoke match in Gameweek 32 may tell us a lot more about his rotation plans for the Europa League.
The Champions League picture
The quarter-final draw for both European competitions takes place later this morning, with Man City and Liverpool the sole English survivors in the Champions League.
Their ties will take place on April 3/4 and 10/11, while the semi-finals follow on April 24/25 and May 1 and 2.
City have the small matter of a Manchester derby and a trip to Spurs to deal with after each leg of the quarter-finals, so any European rotation is likely to occur in the match before the first leg – Gameweek 32’s trip to Everton.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park sandwiched between their European duties, so the matches either side – at Crystal Palace in Gameweek 32 and home to Bournemouth in Gameweek 34 – would appear to be the obvious opportunities for Jurgen Klopp to rest key players.
