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Arsenal Vs Olympiakos: Play to win
On Thursday night, Arsenal open their Europa League knockout stages against Olympiakos. Mikel Arteta should pick his best team to win this specific match.
The Premier League is the be-all and end-all. For any club not in the Champions League or not surprisingly a part of European football, it always has been and always will be. For Arsenal, that is very much the case.
Listen to the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast here! — A Winning Feeling
However, while in years past the Europa League was the Champions League’s ugly little sister that received little attention, this season, as in each of the three years that the Gunners have partaken in the competition, it offers a unique window of opportunity: qualification for to the promised land.
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The winner of the Europa League is handed a spot in next season’s Champions League. For Mikel Arteta and this new Arsenal era, qualification for the Champions League is paramount. It offers pedigree and standing on the world stage, illustrates the development and progression of the club, helps to keep players who want to leave and attract those who might now want to come, and aids the finances substantially thanks to the massive commercial success of the world’s elite club competition.
It would be ideal if this was achieved via a top-four finish in the league. It proves the team’s consistently high performance level, showing growth on a more foundational level, thus more encouraging for future seasons. But ultimately, it does not matter if they get there by sneaking through the backdoor. And that is what the Europa League is.
Arsenal embark on the crucial part of their Europa League venture on Thursday. They travel to Greece to face Olympiakos in the first leg of their Round of 32 tie. It is a game that Arteta should look to win as he hopes to lead his team through the treacherous knockout rounds. Indeed, he was keen to express his and the team’s desire to win the Europa League in his pre-match press conference:
"“It’s another big competition for us. The run that the club has been through in this competition and last year as well makes it really important for the objectives that we have for the season <…> A club like us has to try to win every competition that we are involved in. That’s the mindset that we are playing this game and this competition with.”"
While the Thursday-Sunday schedule that the Europa League enforces on Premier League teams is difficult to manage, Arteta would be wise to field a strong team. As Unai Emery proved last season, these away legs in the Europa League are no cakewalk and it would be much more prudent to get a headstart in the first leg. If Arsenal want to win the Europa League, and they should, given that it is a European trophy and a path back into the Champions League, they will have to start taking the competition seriously.
Next. Arsenal Vs Olympiakos: Predicted starting XI. dark
A little rotation here and there is natural. It would be surprising if Arteta didn’t, even for a Premier League fixture. But he must give the Europa League respect, starting on Thursday night. He must play to win, because he and his players might just need the Europa League come the end of the season.