On Wednesday, Arsene Wenger discussed how strong the Europa League is this year compared to previous seasons, and named the teams to watch out for.
Currently at the last-16 stage, Arsenal hope to progress to the quarter-finals with the second leg of their tie against AC Milan kicking off on Thursday night. Other than those two sides facing each other, Wenger named the four teams he thinks put the competition “at a higher level than ever”.
Here are those sides that Arsenal may need to watch out for if they make Friday’s draw:
2Atletico Madrid
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