Arsenal Can Benefit from a Favourable Europa League Draw
The draw for the knock-out round of the 2018-19 Europa League has been made, and Arsenal have been handed a seemingly favourable draw. The Gunners will face familiar foes BATE Borisov over two legs at the end of February. The Belarusian outfit are competition regulars and were also drawn against Arsenal last season, so they will be looking to exact revenge on the North Londoners. The Gunners ran out 6-0 and 4-2 winners when the two sides crossed swords in 2017, and Unai Emery’s side will be expected to progress with relative ease.
Source: Clean Sheet via Twitter
The Gunners encountered very few problems during the group stage and dropped just two points en-route to topping their section. As a result of their endeavours, they were always likely to secure an easier opponent, but they managed to avoid a couple of potential banana skins. Sides such as Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, and Shakhtar Donetsk would have been significantly tougher to overcome, and Unai Emery will be confident that his side can reach the latter stages of the competition once again.
Last season, Arsenal exited at the semi-final stage after losing 1-0 to Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitana. The La Liga outfit went on to lift the trophy in Lyon. Unai Emery has a great record in this competition, and his side have been priced up as second favourites behind fellow Londoners Chelsea. The Spanish Coach lifted the trophy in three consecutive seasons while in charge of Sevilla, and he has established himself as a cup specialist. He’s managed 67 Europa League matches and has been victorious in 39 of them, which has helped him amass over two points per game in the competition. It’s an impressive and admirable record, but he mustn’t take his eye off the ball when it comes to the Premier League.
Source: Arsenal Talks via Twitter
Gunners fans would relish the opportunity to add some more silverware to the cabinet this season, but they will also be keen to see their side return to the top four. They’ve won just three of their last eight games and have kept just three clean sheets so far this campaign. However, they are potent in the final third and have been hugely entertaining to watch. They are 13/8 in the Premier League betting markets to return to the Champions League spots this season, but January signings will be absolutely essential. Emery has admitted that it will be difficult to bolster his squad once the window opens, although he admits that he’d love to bring another defender into the club.
The Europa League looks like a realistic target for Arsenal this season, and the two legs against BATE Borisov will also give them the option of rotating the squad. They conceded just two goals during the group stage despite regular changes of personnel, and the competition also provides a great chance for players such as Emile Smith-Rowe to get some valuable game time.
There weren’t many better draws for Arsenal, and although the Europa League doesn’t get back underway until mid-February, they can be extremely confident about booking their place in the last 16.
