Arsenal are in a surprisingly commanding position in their Europa League tie against AC Milan, so let’s take a look at who else could cause the team problems if they finish the job on Thursday.
Defying the two club’s respective runs of form, Arsenal put in a top performance in a 2-0 win at the San Siro on Thursday.
The tie isn’t over yet, with the return leg in London still to come, but it’s pretty much the best the team could’ve hoped to get from the away match against a top European club.
If Arsenal can get through the home leg without falling apart, they’ll be in the quarter-finals. At that point it wouldn’t be ridiculous to start dreaming about going all the way.
Here are the teams who are most likely to cause Wenger’s side problems in that endeavour:
4RB Leipzig
Leipzig started out in the Champions League, but dropped down to the Europa League after finishing third in their group.
They finished second in the Bundesliga last season, but are on a bit of a rough patch right now, which has seen them drop down to sixth. They’re still only four points off second though.
Despite their inconsistent league and Champions League form, Leipzig have looked impressive in the Europa League so far. They had to see off Napoli in the round of 32, and lead Zenit St. Petersburg 2-1 after one leg of the last 16.
German striker Timo Werner has three goals in three games in the competition, so he’s one to watch out for.
Naby Keita is their other star man, and the 23-year-old is set to join Liverpool in the summer. You can bet he’d be keen to make an impression up against a rival English side.
2017/18 European record
- Wins: 4
- Draws: 1
- Defeats: 4
- Goals scored: 15
- Goals conceded: 15