Who could Arsenal face in the 2022/23 Europa League knockout stages?
By Euan Burns
Arsenal managed to finish first in their group in the 2022/23 Europa League despite having to wait until the final game to secure the top spot.
They were in Group A with Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt, and Swiss team FC Zurich. Arsenal ended the group stage with 15 points and go straight into the Europa League round of 16 rather than into the knockout round play-off.
Arsenal 2022/23 Europa League so far
Arsenal kicked off their Europa League campaign with a trip to Switzerland to face FC Zurich and they won that match 2-1 thanks to a winner from Eddie Nketiah.
Mikel Arteta's side then welcomed Bodo/Glimt to the Emirates and it was a routine 3-0 win for an Arsenal side that were in superb form domestically. Then the trip to Norway made it three wins from three as Arsenal won 1-0.
The home game against PSV was crucial because the Dutch side were the closest challenger to winning the group. It took until the 70th minute for Granit Xhaka to break the deadlock but Arsenal won 1-0 and took control of the group.
Top spot was then thrown into jeopardy as Arsenal travelled to the Netherlands and were beaten 2-0 by PSV. Heading into the final game, there was a chance of PSV winning the group if Arsenal lost to FC Zurich and PSV beat Bodo/Glimt.
Kieran Tierney's goal was enough for Arsenal to get the 1-0 win that they needed even though PSV won in Norway.
Considering their great form in the Premier League, it is surprising that Arsenal were the joint-lowest scorers of all the Europa League group winners with eight goals - everyone but Ferencvaros scored more. Only Real Sociedad and Union Berlin conceded fewer goals (2) than Arsenal (3).
That is why the individual player stats don't make for the most interesting reading for Arsenal as Nketiah is the top scorer with two goals.
Arsenal 2022/23 Europa League last 16 potential opponents
Winning the group has extra importance in the Europa League because it means Arsenal avoid having to face a third-placed Champions League team in a play-off just to reach the last 16.
This does mean that there are 16 different teams that Arsenal could feasibly play. The teams that finished second in the Europa League groups will face the teams that finished third in the Champions League groups.
Arsenal will be facing the winner of one of those ties in the proper round of 16. The second-placed Europa League teams are:
- PSV Eindhoven
- Stade Rennais
- AS Roma
- Union Berlin
- Manchester United
- FC Midtjylland
- Nantes
- Monaco
The teams who finished third in the Champions League groups and will be facing the above sides are:
- Ajax
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Barcelona
- Sporting CP
- Red Bull Salzburg
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Sevilla
- Juventus
Arsenal can play any of these teams apart from Manchester United as they are from the same association.
The teams to avoid are of course the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, Roma and perhaps Sevilla.
Those ties will not be completed until February 23 so that is when Arsenal's list of potential opponents will be whittled down to eight.
Arsenal will be a seeded team for the round of 16 draw and they will play the second leg at home, which is widely believed to be an advantage. The draw will take place on February 24 at 12:00 GMT.