Arsenal manager Unai Emery has defended his decision to rest Mesut Özil for Thursday's Europa League tie with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The German has only played 71 minutes so far this season, but Emery says he needed to stay in London this week.

"We are playing now a lot of matches and I want to use different players and also can have some rotation in the first 11 and in the 19 players in the squad," said Arsenal's head coach. "Sokratis and Mesut they rest this match.

"I prefer after Sunday's match [for him] to rest and train and to be ready for Sunday [against Aston Villa]."

Pushed further for his reasons, Emery added: "We are going to play another match on Sunday.

"My decision is because he played [at Watford] and also I'm thinking about Thursday, with the focus on the first 11, and after that I decided who are the players who can be the best for Thursday. The players [who are] not is Sokratis and Mesut.

"The first match he [Ozil] played on Sunday he played good physically, also giving us his capacity and skills.

"His first minutes for us were good and now he is ready to help us, not on Thursday, but Sunday. On Thursday we are thinking to do some rotation."