All this talk about where we play - and indeed whether we play - and no one’s really mentioned what’s at stake on the pitch.
So let’s clear that up: a win for us here in Kiev on Thursday will take us through to the knockout round of the Europa League as group winners.
A draw would also suffice if Sporting fail to beat Qarabag. And if we lose… well, we can make amends when Qarabag visit the Emirates next month.
To sum up: failing to qualify is almost unthinkable. And, although he’d rather be in the Champions League, Unai Emery is determined to get his hands on this trophy.
“When I joined Arsenal, I joined an Arsenal team competing in the Europa League,” he said. “That’s not the place the club wants to be, but it’s still an opportunity so we can’t sniff at it.”
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