Arsenal winger Ethan Nwaneri could achieve an unprecedented Champions League feat when the Gunners host PSV Eindhoven in Wednesday’s last-16 second leg.
The 17-year-old was among the scorers in Arsenal’s Philips Stadion slaughter last week, as Mikel Arteta‘s men annihilated the Rood-Witten 7-1 to put one foot firmly in the quarter-finals.
Nwaneri had also found the back of the net during the Gunners’ final league-phase win, a 2-1 triumph over Girona, and he is already the youngest player to score in successive Champions League games.
The Hale End product did not enjoy his finest hour against Manchester United at the weekend, coming off in the 58th minute of that 1-1 draw, and there is a good chance that Arteta could demote him from the first XI on Wednesday with the tie all but wrapped up.
However, should Nwaneri play and score on Wednesday, he would become the youngest man to find the back of the net in three straight Champions League games, and the first to do so before turning 18.
Nwaneri could break Kylian Mbappe record in PSV clash
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The current youngest player to score in three successive Champions League appearances is Kylian Mbappe, who did so four times in a row in the 2016-17 campaign for Monaco, twice against Manchester City and twice against Borussia Dortmund.
The Frenchman was 18 years and 113 days when he netted in three top-level European games on the bounce, but Nwaneri will be 17 years and 349 days on Wednesday; the England Under-19 international celebrates his 18th birthday on March 21.
With Bukayo Saka still out until after the international break on account of his hamstring injury, Nwaneri has filled the void in impressive fashion with eight goals from 28 games in all tournaments this season.
However, Arteta now has Gabriel Martinelli available to him once again after the Brazilian made an unexpectedly quick return from a hamstring injury over the weekend, although he is one yellow card away from a Champions League ban.
Raheem Sterling is in the exact same boat but could still start in a rotated team anyway, as the Chelsea loanee would almost certainly not be starting the first leg of a quarter-final with either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal can equal Man City feat in Champions League
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In addition to Nwaneri potentially breaking Mbappe’s record, Arsenal are bidding to join Premier League rivals Manchester City in an exclusive Champions League club on Wednesday evening.
If Arteta’s men score at least another three goals, they will become just the second English team to register 10 goals across two legs of a Champions League knockout tie after Pep Guardiola‘s side.
Arteta’s erstwhile employers managed that extraordinary feat against Schalke 04 in the last 16 of the 2018-19 competition, edging a close contest 3-2 in the first leg before a 7-0 second-leg thrashing at the Etihad.
The Gunners boss confirmed in his pre-game press conference that he expects to have an identical squad available from the weekend’s draw at Old Trafford, while also declaring Ben White fit to start after his recent return from knee surgery.
The Englishman is a strong candidate to come into the starting lineup on Wednesday, as Jurrien Timber will also miss the first leg of the quarter-finals if he is cautioned against PSV.
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