A 2-0 loss to PSV on Thursday night means Arsenal’s Europa League future won’t be settled until their final group match.
The Gunners’ perfect record in Europe so far this season was undone by a clinical PSV outfit that scored twice in eight second-half minutes.
While Arsenal remain top of Group A by two points, the final matchday of group action could see things change drastically for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Only the top team from each group will automatically advance to the next round, with sides that finish second forced to contend with playoffs against clubs coming down from the Champions League.
MORE: Ronaldo scores on Man Utd return | Arsenal loanee stabbed in Italy
What do Arsenal need to finish top of their Europa League group?
The equation is pretty simple for the Gunners, beat FC Zurich next Thursday and they’ll top Group A regardless of PSV’s result as they’ll have more points.
It’s also worth noting that Arsenal would also automatically finish first if PSV fail to beat Bodo/Glimt in their final group stage match as they trail Arteta’s side by two points.
Due to current tiebreakers rules, the Gunners need to end the group stage with more points than PSV to finish top.
Because the Dutch team beat Arsenal 2-0, they have a superior head-to-head record with Arteta’s side only winning 1-0 against them a week prior.
That means should both teams finish on the same points, PSV would go top at the expense of Arsenal.
This scenario could pan out if PSV beat Bodo/Glimt and Arsenal only manage to draw against FC Zurich.
PSV could also end up on more points than Arsenal if they win and the Gunners lose their final game.
It ends in defeat in Eindhoven
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 27, 2022
Who could Arsenal play in the Europa League knockout round playoffs?
Should Arsenal fail to finish top of their group, they’d be plunged into a two-leg knockout playoff.
These games would be played against clubs that finished third in their Champions League group.
The Gunners can’t be drawn against another English club but could still face some stern tests with Spanish giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid already guaranteed to feature in these games.
Arsenal’s possible knockout round opponents heading into the final matchday:
- Ajax
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Barcelona
- Sporting Lisbon
- AC Milan
- RB Salzburg
- Dinamo Zagreb
- RB Leipzig
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Sevilla
- Juventus
- Maccabi Haifa
When is the Europa League knockout round playoffs?
The first leg of the two-legged knockout tie takes place on February 16, with the return leg played a week later.
The winners will play in the Europa League round of 16, which has legs taking place on March 9 and 16. The quarterfinals take place on April 13 and 20, with the semifinals on May 11 and 18 and the final on May 31.
When is the Europa League knockout round draw?
The draw will be held at UEFA’s House of European Football headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland in a ceremony starting at midday (BST) on November 7.
How to watch the Europa League knockout round draw
The draw will be streamed live on UEFA.com.
