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:
4Olympique Lyonnais
Lyon have been in the Europa League since the start, and they’re having a great campaign. In their last seven matches they’ve won six, losing the seventh 1-0 to Atalanta. They’re currently 1-0 up against CSKA Moscow after the away leg of their tie.
Perhaps the side are driven by the knowledge that this year’s final will take place in Lyon. Playing a major European final at your home ground isn’t an opportunity that comes around very often.
The other factor inspiring the side is Nabil Fekir’s fantastic form. The 24-year-old club captain has 21 goals and six assists this season, despite his midfield role. That includes goals and assists against Everton, Villarreal in the round-of-32, PSG and Monaco. In pretty much every big game he is making an impact.
I’m sure Alexandre Lacazette’s return to his former club would also stir up some emotions. It would certainly be an exciting tie.
2017/18 European record
- Wins: 6
- Draws: 2
- Defeats: 1
- Goals scored: 16
- Goals conceded: 5