Why is it important that Arsenal top their Europa League group?

Arsenal face off against FC Zurich in their last Europa League group stage game with a chance to top Group A. But why is it so important to do so?

Thursday night, Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side have a chance to build on the 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest as they welcome FC Zurich to the Emirates.

With Arsenal winning four of their five group stage games, they currently sit top of Group A, two points ahead of PSV in second.

We hear all the time that topping the group is perfect. You miss the other big teams in the competition, which gives you a better chance of going further in the Europa League.

But there is another reason.

Why Arsenal need to top Group A

Given how the Europa League is set up, if Arsenal manages to beat FC Zurich and tops the group, they will avoid having to play two extra games on their already condensed schedule.

The Gunners will skip the knockout play-off round – which replaced the round of 32 following the establishment of the Conference League in 2021 – and progress straight into the round of 16.

Given how many games Arsenal have played already (and will play during the second half of the season), adding another two games later down the road is a recipe for disaster. With so many players already looking fatigued and adding more games to the schedule would be detrimental.

This is why Thursday’s game has so much significance.

The opportunity to not only navigate around the big teams of the competition but also to not have to play an additional two games is some dangling carrot.

At the Emirates, Arsenal have been unbeatable this season. Having defeated FC Zurich 2-1 in the opening fixture of the Europa League, a similar result will do just fine.

It doesn’t matter how Arsenal win, just as long as they do.

If Arsenal fail to beat FC Zurich…

Unthinkable right? But if football has taught us anything, it’s that nothing can be taken for granted. Despite beating FC Zurich on Matchday 1, that doesn’t mean the same will happen on Thursday.

A loss or draw would see the Gunners finish second in the group if PSV beat Bodø/Glimt in Norway. Also, it would mean they would play two extra games and possibly face one of the competition’s big hitters.

So, this is why it is paramount that Mikel Arteta’s side get the win on Thursday night.