Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Arsenal are fearful of a half-empty stadium ahead of their Europa League 2nd leg affair with BATE Borisov.
The Gunners are 1-0 down at half-time in their last 32 clash and aim to overturn the defeat in Belarus at the Emirates.
Speaking after the shock defeat, Unai Emery said he expects the Arseanl fans to drive their players on in the second leg.
However, Uefa chiefs’ insistence on the match kicking off at 5.55pm means that thousands of supporters are likely to miss the game.
Although Thursday’s tie is officially a sell-out, Emirates bosses have no idea how many will actually turn up for the early start.
Over 45,000 of the 60,000 seater-stadium are taken up by season ticket holders, who automatically receive credit for seven cup ties a season. Yet it’s uncertain how many of those will even turn up.
The Emirates was barely past half-full when the Gunners took on BATE in the group stages last season. And with supporters struggling to get to the game, Arsenal can expect more of the same on Thursday.
