TV pundit Charlie Nicholas is backing Mesut Ozil to be the key man if Arsenal secure a home win against Valencia this evening.

The Spanish side are notoriously hard to break down and Nicholas believes Ozil will be the key to unlocking their opponent’s defence tonight:

“Emery knows Valencia aren’t going to be overly physical so Arsenal need to play with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette closer together with Mesut Ozil back in.

“These are the types of games which Ozil can really do something in. Thursday may, finally, just be Ozil’s night.”

Nicholas has gone for a 3-1 win for the Gunners so he isn’t banking on his former side keeping a clean sheet. An away goal would be a blow, considering Arsenal’s weakness defensively on the road.

Still, a two-goal advantage going into the second leg of the semi-final wouldn’t be a bad result. They showed against Napoli in the last round that they can keep first leg leads, but the recent defeats to Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leicester are definitely a major cause for concern.

Manager Unai Emery has got his tactics spot on in the Europa League for the most part, and fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that he can outsmart his former club over two legs.