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It was announced in 2013 that the winner of Europa League will qualify for the following season's Champions League from 2015-16 season. The change was made to increase interest among the teams in the Europe's secondary tournament.
Last season, Manchester United just showed how important the Europa League is. They won the league and qualified to play in Champions League despite finishing 6th in the English Premier League table.This time its Arsenal's turn.
Struggling in the Premier League for a top 4 finish, winning Europa League is their best chance to qualify for Champions League 2018/19. Arsenal already showed class in Europa League beating their opponents comfortably even with their second-string side. But there are still a handful of teams left in the league that can challenge Arsenal.
Let's see the 5 teams that can challenge Arsenal for Europa League title.
#5 Dynamo Kyiv
Unbeaten in the Ukraine Premier League this season after 10 games, Dynamo Kyiv are hungry for success in Europe. They won their first 2 group games 3-1 and 3-2 in Europa League and tops group B table.
Even though they lack the quality of Arsenal, Dynamo Kiev certainly will not make life easier for them. They played Arsenal 6 times in the past in Champions League, beating them twice.
Dynamo Kyiv are a constant presence in Europe. Their recent success came in 2015/16 when they reached Champions League round of 16. Their best run in Europe came in 1998/99 when they lost in Champions League semifinals to Bayern.
#4 AC Milan
AC Milan has a great history in Europe and they are the biggest worry for Arsenal. Even though they did not start well in Serie A, their legacy in Europe speaks for itself. They have won 7 European titles and their recent success came in 2006/07 when they defeated Liverpool to claim the Champions League. But they are on a poor run in Europe for the past few years.
They got off to a great start in Europa League this season, winning their first 2 games comfortably. The Rossoneri spent more than £160 million in the transfer window to sign big names like Leonardo Bonucci, Andre Silva, Andrea Conti and Hakan Calhanoglu.
With Juventus, Napoli and Inter dominating Serie A, winning Europa League is the best chance for AC Milan to play in the 2018/19 Champions League.
#3 Zenit St. Petersburg
2008 Europa League winners spent more than 70 million pounds in the transfer market to bring in reinforcements. They are unbeaten in the domestic league and stand on top of the table with 28 points from 12 games. They breezed past the opponents in their first 2 games in Europe with a convincing 5-0 and 3-1 win.
Zenit St. Petersburg have been a constant presence in European competitions over the past decade. Their key player is Alexandr Kokorin. He has already scored 4 times in Europe and is a threat to any defense. Zenit never played against Arsenal in any European Competitions and can certainly surprise them if they get a chance.
Russian conditions can be hostile to English teams and since Arsenal never played a competitive game in Zenit, this could be the toughest fixture for Arsenal.
#2 Marseille
1992/93 Champions League title winners, Marseille, started well in the French league sitting 3rd behind PSG and Monaco. They are a side with lot of European Experience. Though they started the Europa league group stage with a win and a defeat, they cannot be counted out because of their success in Europe.
Florian Thauvin was an instant success after his transfer to Marseille this transfer window. With their strikers Ocampos and N'Jie scoring freely, Marseille will feel the time is right for a big push to play Champions League next year even if they miss out on qualifying from Ligue One.
Marseille played Arsenal 4 times in the past and twice came close to beating them. Trip to Orange Velodrome may not not be an extremely hard one for Arsenal, but it could still provide a stern test.
#1 Lazio
Lazio lost their star players Keita Balde to Monaco and Lucas Biglia to AC Milan. Despite that, they have gotten off to a good start domestically and in Europe. They won their European games against Vitesse and Zulte comfortably this season and are looking certain for a place in the knockout round.
Ciro Immobile has been the star so far with 9 goals and 3 assists this season well supported by Luis Alberto and Marco Parolo with 2 goals and 2 assists each.
They played against Arsenal two times in 2000/01 Champions League and could not come out top on both occasions. Lazio have been in and out of Europe in the recent past and lack the experience of AC Milan or Zenit. But they certainly has the ammunition to create an upset if Arsenal get lethargic.
