Arsenal and FC Köln plan to share footage with each other to help prepare for the first match of the Europa League campaign.

The two clubs were drawn in the same group of the European competition, and the fixture list pits them against each other in the opening game on September 14.

Normally scouts would seek out footage of Arsenal’s opponents to prepare for the match, but in this case the clubs made an agreement to help each other out.

The Köln assistant coach Manfred Schmid told Bild, via ESPN: “We had a very good talk and a nice exchange of ideas. We will receive videos from Arsenal matches in the next couple of days, and we’ll supply them with our material.

“You can’t stop opponents getting footage through other clubs or platforms these days, and so this just simplifies the match preparation.”

The Europa League is enough of a logistical nightmare on its own, without the additional difficulties of finding footage of teams in other leagues, so this agreement seems to be in the best interest of both parties.

Arsenal have had a good relationship with Köln in the past, playing pre-season friendlies at the Rhein Energie Stadion in both 2011 and 2012.

There is also the Lukas Podolski connection, after the German international moved between the two clubs in 2012 and still has a good relationship with both sides.

Podolski made his debut for Arsenal in the second of these friendlies, as did Olivier Giroud, who will be looking for his 100th Arsenal goal in the upcoming match between Arsenal and Koln if he doesn’t get one against Bournemouth next month.

Hopefully the match will be as straight-forward as the pre-match preparations for it.