UEFA Champions League results Arsenal will be hoping for this week

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James Benge5 December 2017

Arsenal have had to do without Champions League football so far this season but the knockout stages of the Europa League could provide Arsene Wenger with an unwelcome opportunity to pit his wits against one of the continent’s elite.

The eight third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage will drop into the Europa League but the four with the worst records will not be among the seeds for the round of 32 draw.

Heading into the final round of group stage fixtures, that means Arsenal face the very real prospect of playing their first knockout tie against Napoli, Atletico Madrid, Celtic and Borussia Dortmund.

After years of being handed brutish draws against Bayern Munich, Barcelona et al in Europe’s premier competition the irony would not be lost on Gunners fans were they to be handed another less than favourable tie in a competition that they are currently hot favourites for.

Champions League group stage third-place teams

Group Team P W D L GD Pts
A CSKA Moscow 5 3 0 2 -1 9
D Sporting 5 2 1 2 1 7
G RB Leipzig 5 2 1 2 0 7
E Spartak Moscow 5 1 3 1 3 6
F Napoli 5 2 0 3 1 6
C Atletico Madrid 5 1 3 1 1 6
B Celtic 5 1 0 4 -12 3
H Borussia Dortmund 5 0 2 3 -5 2

The nightmare scenarios

Atletico Madrid may have endured a continental odyssey to forget so far this season but should they drop down to the Europa League they would almost certainly leapfrog Arsenal as the favourites to lift the trophy in Lyon next May.

That appears to be a very realistic scenario heading into Tuesday’s games, with Atletico facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge knowing only a victory will give them any hope of reaching the knockout stages. Unfortunately for Diego Simeone’s side the Blues also need a win to be guaranteed top spot in Group C.

Were Atletico to drop into the Europa League they would prove to be a spectre at Arsenal's feast were they to face them at any stage, with the looming threat of Diego Costa the stuff of nightmares for Wenger's backline.

Los Rojiblancos are not the side Arsenal would want to give a wide berth to. Indeed Napoli could constitute a more formidable threat for the Gunners such has been their form in Serie A this season.

The Neapolitans need to win against Feyenoord and hope to Manchester City beat Shakhtar if they are to qualify for the knockout stages, though if they do slip into the Europa League with a win they would likely be seeded and thus avoid Arsenal.

One to avoid

Photo: PA
PA

The other two sides currently among the unseeded quartet would not be welcome opponents for Arsene Wenger.

Group B is likely to end with Celtic in third place and though the Gunners would be favourites a Battle of Britain against the Scottish champions, whose manager Brendan Rodgers would be desperate to make a point against Premier League opposition, is the sort of tie where the form book counts for little.

A favour from Spurs

Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

Wenger may also be counting on Mauricio Pochettino ringing the changes at Wembley on Wednesday night. Tottenham are already guaranteed top spot in Group H, where the only outstanding matter is whether Borussia Dortmund or APOEL finish third.

As it stands Dortmund are third but face a tough trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid. Meanwhile APOEL visit Spurs knowing that if they better the Germans’ result they will have European football to look forward to in 2018.

Whilst Arsenal might be optimistic about their chances against a struggling Dortmund if the tie were played tomorrow it seems highly likely that there will be a new manager in place at the Westfalenstadion next year such has been their recent decline under Peter Bosz.

The other groups

​Spartak Moscow currently possess the fourth-best record of the third-placed sides. Whether that improves away to Liverpool on the final matchday remains to be seen. RB Leipzig and Porto, both on seven points, are battling it out to book their passage from Group G.

Sporting Lisbon need to win in the Nou Camp to have any hope of dooming Juventus to third in Group D but could also slip into the unseeded quartet if they lose at Barcelona. Whichever of CSKA Moscow or Basel finish third in Group A is likely to be seeded for the draw.

Who else could Arsenal face?

Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Julian Finney/Getty Images

The only other team confirmed to be among Arsenal’s potential opponents ahead of the final round of Europa League fixtures in Nice, who will end up in second place in Group K behind Lazio. As it stands Athletic Bilbao, Lyon, Marseille and Real Sociedad are among the more familiar faces the Gunners could draw.

Their opponents will be confirmed when the draw for the round of 32 is made in Nyon, Switzerland on December 11.