Charlie Nicholas predicts Arsenal’s result against Vitoria

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Charlie Nicholas has told Sky Sports that he is not happy with what is seeing from Arsenal at the moment, but added that he is expecting the young players to see the Gunners across the line in their latest Europa League game.

Unai Emery’s men travel to Portugal looking to end a recent winless run. Arsenal’s most recent win came in the reverse fixture against Vitoria at the Emirates. Since then, they have drawn three.

The pressure appears to be piling up on Emery. The Europa League has provided some respite for the Arsenal boss, and a win on Wednesday would all but guarantee a spot in the knockout stages of the competition.

Nicholas admitted that he is expecting the Premier League side to secure that win, but insisted that he is less than enthused about everything that is going on in North London.

“I don’t know what is going on with Arsenal at the moment. I could pin the hopes on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe, who must start to get going by the way, but I am not sure it would do me any good,” he told Sky Sports, as he explained why he is expecting a 2-0 win.

“Arsenal will win, but it is a bad time for them at the moment. The only positive is that young players will play and that will get them over the line, but I am not happy with what I am seeing at the moment.”

While Arsenal may not be planning a change, it does, from the outside, appear difficult to imagine Emery leading the side in the long-term.

The Gunners arguably have a lot of the tools to be doing a lot better. And it could be argued that the side have made little progress since Emery’s arrival.

The Leicester City clash this weekend is going to be telling. Emery may be pleased to see some of the fixtures awaiting Arsenal after the international break.

They face Southampton, Norwich City and Brighton in the top flight. That is the kind of run that could see Arsenal take nine points. On the other hand, it is also the kind of run which could see anything less than perfection adding to the pressure on Emery’s shoulders.