Despite not coming out victorious in their away leg against Lens, The Gunners dominated in all areas of the pitch. Notably, they had the vast majority of possession (67%), with Declan Rice pulling the strings. The midfielder tallied an impressive 113 passes, being a major presence in defence and going forward.

Arsenal took double the amount of shots on target that Lens did (6), seeing them rack up over 1.5 expected goals. Given Arsenal have the best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding just 0.8 goals per game, it is unlikely Lens will be able to do the same on Wednesday.

In terms of domestic games, there has only been one home game where Arsenal have failed to score at least two goals. This was a 1-0 victory to Man City. The Gunners are clearly on top goalscoring form and, with an average goals per game of 2.1 this season, are likely to put Lens’ defence to the test.

Predictions:

🏆 Arsenal to win @ 1.30

🏆 Arsenal (-1) @ 2.10

Arsenal’s centre back pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba are no strangers to a header. They measure up at 6ft 2in and 6ft 3in respectively, and the latter of the two scored a header from a corner against Burnley just two weeks ago.

In their last game against Lens, Gabriel had two headed shots, with one of them being on target. Similarly, both attempts were also from corners. He also had a headed shot against Brentford last weekend.

Lens’ defence is equally as strong in the air, particularly Kevin Danso; who has managed four headed shots over his last five games. Notably two of these were in the same Champions League game against PSV, and they were both shots on target. Danso also managed a headed shot at goal in his last game against Arsenal.

Predictions:

🎯 Kevin Danso to have 2+ shot on target @ 2.40

🎯 Gabriel to have 1+ headed shot on target @ 4.00

🎯 William Saliba to have 1+ shot on target @ 4.50

Arsenal have taken the most corners in the Premier League this season, averaging 8.69 corners. Their stats rise when looking just at their home games, as they average 8.86 corners per game. Last time they played against Lens they took five corners.

Lens have taken the third highest amount of corners in Ligue 1, averaging 5.77 per game. They have also taken a high number in the Champions League too, averaging 5 per match. This is more than Arsenal, who have averaged 4.5 per match.

Given both teams often exploit their aerial assets, as we have already seen, corners will be important for both. Furthermore, if Arsenal see as much of the ball as they did last time, corners are likely to flow in from deflected or saved shots. This was where the majority of their corners came from last match, with Lens’ keeper Brice Samba making six saves.

Predictions:

🚩 Over 8.5 total corners @ 1.36

🚩 Over 9.5 total corners @ 1.60

🚩 Over 5.5 Arsenal corners @ 1.44

If they didn’t teach you this formula in school, you best get learning it now.

Given the high pressure both teams will be under to deliver in this game, plenty of challenges are to be expected. Combine this with a referee (Artur Dias) who has been averaging just under five yellows per game this season, you can expect the cards to come flying in.

Arsenal’s games have seen an average of over 3.50 bookings per match this season, while Lens have had a match average of 4.40. The pressure clearly got to Lens in their last Champions League game against PSV as they picked up seven yellow cards.

So who are the prime candidates for this one?

For Arsenal: Gabriel Jesus. He has committed an average of 2.71 domestic fouls per 90 minutes this season. Last time he played against Lens he committed three fouls and picked up a booking for dissent. Another likely candidate is Kai Havertz. He also committed three fouls last time he played against Lens, and will be defending against Nampalys Mendy, who draws an average of 2.50 fouls per game.

Predictions:

🟨 Over 3.5 cards @ 1.50

🟨 Gabriel Jesus to be shown a card @ 4.50

🟨 Kai Havertz to be shown a card @ 5.00