UEFA Europa League: Arsenal vs Cologne
Published September 14, 2017 by Sol FH
Arsenal expected to win big tonight in their Europa League fixture against Cologne at 20:05 GMT.
For many Arsenal supporters, the 2017/18 season will have a big hole. It is the first time since 1997/98 that they did not qualify for the Champions League. This means that they will only be able to make it back to the biggest stage in Europe by qualifying in the Premier League or by winning the Europa League respectively. The Gunners must get back into their winning form, but Arsene Wenger doesn't seem to think that the Europa League is the best way for his squad to get back in the action.
"The Europa League is not our best chance of a return to the Champions League. It is one of the opportunities. I think the best way to do it is through the Premier League but we want to win every competition we play," Wenger related. This could be one of the reasons that he sat seven of his starting players at training prior to this match, and he may not start with his best team. Mesut Ozil, Danny Welbeck, Petr Cech, Laurent Koscielny, Alexandre Lacazette, Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka are all fit, but were not asked to train and may not play tonight.
Good news for Cologne?
For the German squad, a trip to the Emirates is never something that should be taken lightly, and no matter what lineup Wenger throws at them it will be tough to win or even draw with the Gunners. The problem is, Cologne has started this year by losing all three of their Bundesliga matches and after finishing fifth last season they are in danger of saying goodbye to European competition in 2018/19.
Europa League Betting
bet365 Sports is your home for the best Europa League betting markets and competitive odds. Arsenal is huge favorites to win tonight at 1.36, whilst Cologne is at 9.00. Even a draw would net some great winnings at 5.50, but expect Arsenal to win by at least two goals.