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:

3Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid's French forward Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann

Like Leipzig, Atletico started out in the Champions League, but they had a tough group. Chelsea and AS Roma ended up finishing first and second, as the Spanish side simply drew too many matches. That hasn’t been a problem in the Europa League, as they’ve won every game so far.

Atletico’s strength is undoubtedly their defensive record. Despite finishing third in their Champions League group, they only conceded four goals in six games. Arsenal conceded more than that in their last Champions League match alone.

Striker Antoine Griezmann is in his usual impressive form for the side this year, with 20 goals and 11 assists in 35 matches. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak casts a formidable figure in behind the defence, and only adds to their solidity at the back.

Diego Simeone’s side are surely favourites for the tournament.

2017/18 European record

  • Wins: 4
  • Draws: 4
  • Defeats: 1
  • Goals scored: 13
  • Goals conceded: 5