Arsene Wenger names Atletico Madrid as ‘favourites’ for the Europa League
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes Atletico Madrid are the favourites for this season’s Europa League and says he would prefer to avoid Diego Simeone’s side in Friday’s draw.
The Gunners booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win (5-1 on aggregate) against AC Milan on Thursday and await Friday’s draw to see who they will face in the last-eight.
Atletico dropped into the Europa League after finishing third in a Champions League group containing Chelsea and Roma and Simeone’s side blitzed Lokomotiv Moscow 5-1 [8-1 on aggregate] before the Gunners’ win at the Emirates.
Arsenal’s top four hopes are all but gone so they need to win the Europa League to regain entry into the Champions League and Wenger says he would rather not face Ateletico in the next round.
‘We would certainly want to avoid Atletico Madrid,’ said Wenger.
‘Maybe the team that’s the biggest favourite is Atletico Madrid but anyway what I like doesn’t matter too much because I have no influence.
‘We have to wait until tomorrow and see who we get, if we get Atletico we get Atletico.’
More: Arsenal FC
The Gunners have a ten-day break until their next game, when they host Stoke City at the Emirates in the Premier League.
The other quarter-finalists are CSKA Moscow, Lazio, Red Bull Salzburg, Red Bull Leipzig, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille.
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