Having deployed a surprisingly strong starting XI last night, the Gunners swept aside Qarabag to win Group E undefeated. Rarely troubled and in control for much of the game, Arsenal saw the return of Mesut Ozil and captain Laurent Koscielny from injury from the off. Nacho Monreal also saw twenty-odd minutes, another good step for him in his return too. It was a great blend of youth and experience, guile and hunger in Emery's squad for the evening, where players craving pitch time got a good opportunity to impress. The likes of Martinez in goal, Jenkinson in defence and Elneny in midfield all played the full ninety minutes in what seems to be their only real chance of playing first team football so as the tournament rolls on, players like these (and others) need to remain sharp some way or another. Alex Lacazette's fine finish from deep inside the eighteen yard area won the game on a very comfortable night. Young Saka really impressed as well and possibly deserved to be on the score sheet too but it wasn't to be for him.
Being seeded for Monday's Round of 32 Draw, possible opposition is limited to unseeded teams only at this stage. Clubs are also protected by their own nations so cannot draw a team from their own country until later on in the tournament. The Gunners will face one of the following:
BATE Borisov
Celtic
Club Brugge
Fenerbahce
Galatasaray
FC Krasnodar
Lazio
Malmo
Olympiacos
Rapid Vienna
Rennes
Salzburg
Shakhtar Donetsk
Slavia Prague
FC Zurich
Eight teams dropping out from the Champions League enter the Europa League at this stage, of which four are seeded and four are not. In among our potential opposition there are some tricky looking ties on paper; Shakhtar away is never a great journey for anyone, and the two Turkish teams in their own back yard are also usually ones to avoid. With a two-legged tie to consider, the ideal scenario is a team like Club Brugge or Rapid Vienna where the journey is pretty favourable and the calibre of opponent is not too high either. A trip to Belgium, Austria or even Switzerland is a lot more friendly than going further afield to somewhere like Russia or Ukraine. There are no easy games at this level but there are certainly easier ties to wish for. All eyes on Monday's draw to find out who the Gunners get!
Who do you want to see us play?
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