Arsenal set to play the kids in Europa League clash with BATE Borisov with Reiss Nelson, Chuba Akpom and Joe Willock hoping for action

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There is a distinctly youthful complexion to the Arsenal squad in Belarus for Thursday night's Europa League meeting with BATE Borisov.

With a tight turnaround from Monday night's win over West Brom to this Sunday's fixture with Brighton via a 2,400-mile round trip to Eastern Europe, Arsene Wenger has understandably rotated his squad.

It offers an opportunity for fringe first-team and younger players to make an impression against the champions of Belarus at the Borisov Arena.

Arsene Wenger is expected to rotate his squad for Thursday night's Europa League match against BATE Borisov in Belarus 

Alexis Sanchez celebrates his goal in Arsenal's win over Cologne in the Europa League opener

Wenger said on the eve of the game: 'This is the kind of job you do not get 10 opportunities to play for Arsenal.

'You have to convince people you have the qualities to do it and you have the courage to play and show your qualities.

'There is always an uncertainty. We know in training, you see that the player has the quality. Yes, he is here because he has the qualities.

'To show it during competition is different. And in my experience you only discover that during competition.'

Arsenal have travelled to Belarus without a number of big names, including Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Alex Lacazette, Laurent Koscielny, Hector Bellerin and Aaron Ramsey all left behind.

Reiss Nelson (right) and Eddie Nketiah board Arsenal's flight to Belarus at Luton Airport

Nelson played in last week's Carabao Cup third round win over Doncaster Rovers

Ainsley Maitland-Niles leaves team-mate Chuba Akpom head over heels in training this week

Injury has also deprived Wenger of Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Alex Iwobi, Calum Chambers and Danny Welbeck.

It means that the likes of Reiss Nelson, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Joe Willock could make the starting line-up, with Marcus McGuane, Eddie Nketiah, Chuba Akpom, Josh DaSilva and Charlie Gilmour named on the bench.

17-year-old Nelson, who is capable of playing right across the midfield, is regarded as one of the true gems of Arsenal's academy.

This season has seen the teenager make cameo appearances in the Community Shield win over Chelsea and the opening Europa League match against Cologne, as well as a start against Doncaster Rovers in last week's EFL Cup tie.

Nelson, an England youth international who joined Arsenal's academy aged nine, possesses an assured touch, excellent vision and scoring abilities, as shown by his six goals in five matches at the start of the under-23 season.

The versatile Maitland-Niles, 20, played on the left-side of Arsenal's midfield in the 3-1 win over Cologne and also completed the full 90 minutes against Doncaster.

A speedy winger during his teenage years in Arsenal's academy, Maitland-Niles has been converted more into a ball-playing central midfielder though he is also suited to a wing-back role because of that pace.

Joe Willock and Marcus McGuane board the plane as Arsenal head out to Belarus 

Willock plays a pass during last week's EFL Cup win over League One Doncaster

Maitland-Niles did spend the 2015-16 season out on loan at Ipswich Town, but since then Wenger has kept him in the first-team squad and having featured prominently in the cups last season, will wish for more of the same this.

Willock, the younger brother of Matty at Manchester United and Chris at Benfica, made his senior debut for Arsenal off the bench against Doncaster and is now in line for a first start.

The 18-year-old central midfielder is assured on the ball and can pick out a nice pass, with a very good record of supplying assists for the youth and under-23 sides last season.

Another 18-year-old, Marcus McGuane, is also in line for a senior debut. Usually a defensive midfielder but more than capable of filling in at centre-back, McGuane is regularly picked for England's youth sides.

Marcus McGuane hot on the heels of Jack Wilshere during Wednesday's training session

Rob Holding (left), Matt Macey (middle) and Charlie Gilmour prepare to board the plane

McGuane was linked with moves to Juventus and Manchester United over the summer, but remains an Arsenal player and is now hoping for first-team exposure like the rest of these youngsters.

Another hoping that Wenger will hand them a debut is midfielder Gilmour, who has played just once for the under-23 team this season so far.

Gilmour has been involved in an international tug-of-war between England and Scotland, representing the former at under-17 level before opting for the latter at under-19 standard.

More well known is Akpom, 21, who was retained in Arsenal's squad this season after five loan spells over the past three years.

Chuba Akpom is back in the Arsenal squad this season after a succession of loan spells

Eddie Nketiah (left) and Joe Willock share a joke during training at London Colney 

Neither of those brought the striker particularly ground-breaking scoring returns and it remains to be seen what role he'll play at Arsenal this season. 

Having remained on the bench in the EFL Cup last week, 18-year-old hotshot striker Eddie Nketiah will be keen to make an impact.

Prolific at under-23 level and for the England youth sides, Nketiah was on Chelsea's books until 2015 and is capable of scoring a wide variety of goals.

Also on the three-hour flight to Minsk was Josh Dasilva, also 18. He joined Arsenal's Hale End academy at the age of just eight and has been capped by England's under-20 side. 

Josh Dasilva walks up the steps onto the plane for the three-hour flight to Belarus