Arsenal face Atlético in Europa League last four
Arsène Wenger’s side must get past Atlètico over two legs to prevail to the final in Lyon next month, while one of Marseille or Salzburg is guaranteed a spot there after being drawn against each other in the semi-finals on Friday.
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So, you’ve already digested the draw. Now get your teeth into this:
Key dates
First legs, Thursday 26 April
Arsenal v Atlético Madrid,
Marseille v Salzburg,
Second legs, Thursday 3 May
Atlético Madrid v Arsenal,
Salzburg v Marseille,
Europa League final, Wednesday 16 May
Winner of Marseille/Salzburg v Arsenal/Atlético Madrid
Arsenal will play Atlético Madrid, then. That is probably the draw Arséne Wenger had most feared but they will, at least, entertain them first at the Emirates before travelling to the Spanish capital for the second leg. And, in the other tie, Marseille and Salzburg who faced each other in the group stages, will meet each other in the last four. Another note, the winner of Marseille v Salzburg will be the nominal home team, not that that matters an awful lot, given the final will be in Lyon. Might be nice for Marseille to trudge into the home dressing room at the Groupama Stadium. Meanwhile, if you’re not already, why not sign up to our daily football email, The Fiver? Oh, well, just in case.
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Arsenal v Atlético
And Arséne Wenger’s side will do battle with Diego Simeone’s team.
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Marseille v Salzburg
The Ligue 1 team host the Austrians.
The talking’s done ... here we go!
Uefa’s director of competitions, Giorgio Marchetti, gives a little spiel about the drama of the previous rounds, and wishes the four teams in the semis the best of luck for the draw. Everybody is just itching to get on with it, though. He welcomes former France international Éric Abidal to the stage, who will draw the balls out of the hat, so to speak.
Here we go ... just a few pleasantries and formalities to get out the way, and then we will know who’s playing who, and we can make presumptions about who has the best chance of reaching the final at Stade de Lyon on Wednesday 16 May. A reminder that the semis will be played on two Thursdays: 26 April (first leg) and the 3 May (second leg).
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Arsenal, Atlético, Marseille and Salzburg are settling down for the draw. Meanwhile, the Marseille captain these days, Dimitri Payet, has dodged a question about which team’s full-back he, if given the chance to choose, would wring inside out. “When you’re at this level, you know that the final is close. You know too that standard keeps improving. Whoever we face, we’ll have to put in twice as much effort to treat ourselves to a final.”
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Héctor Bellerín, Arsenal defender, has had his own say on he fancies playing. “Right now with the teams in the Europa League,” he says. “With Atlético Madrid and Milan, who we beat, these teams are Champions League teams, so for us to win this competition would mean the world.” His team-mate, Alexandre Lacazette, has gone one better; he reckons lifting the trophy in Lyon would be enough to keep Wenger in the job.
No wonder Arsène can’t bring himself to predicting who his side may face, instead preferring to accept his fate. “Maybe it’s better I don’t wish for anybody and just wait for the draw,” Wenger says. “Atlético are the strongest, but let’s just play well against the team we get. Let’s prepare well for the semi.”
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“Who do I want to get in the draw?” says Valon Berisha, the Salzburg midfielder. “Arsenal.” His manager, Marco Rose, lifted the Uefa Youth League last season with the club’s Under-18s. Can the German upgrade to securing the Europa League time around? “I think Atlético are in a class of their own,” adds Salzburg’s defender, Stefan Lainer. “They would be the toughest opponent.”
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Preamble
Arsène Wenger’s side avoided a scare in Moscow to reach the last four of the Europa League – but who will they face? They will surely hope to dodge drawing Atlético Madrid, while Salzburg and Marseille will be regarded as underdogs, unless they draw each other, of course. Lots of fun and games to come, including the Champions League draw in a bit, but before then indulge in the fallout from Arsenal in Russia:
