Arsenal could face Ligue 1 giants Lille in Champions League qualifying…
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Arsenal will be aiming to reach the Champions League group stages later this month, and have now had their list of possible opponents whittled down to just ten, with the third qualifying round well underway.
The Gunners will be aiming to join Premier League rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the competition. To do so, they will have to defeat one of ten possible opponents – listed below according to coefficient, with the most desirable opponent appearing tenth on the list.
All of the teams defeated in the fourth qualifying round of the competition automatically drop into the Europa League. A full explanation of the qualifying process can be seen here.
10) AEL Limassol (Cyprus)
The Cyprian side finished second in their domestic league last season, ending the year behind winners APOEL on goal difference. They face a tricky match against Zenit St Petersburg to earn qualification to the fourth preliminary round.
9) Grasshoppers (Switzerland)
The Zurich based side finish in second place in the Swiss league last season, as runners-up to the ever dominant Basel.
8) Feyenoord (Netherlands)
The Dutch giants placed second last year behind Ajax. Their talented squad includes the likes of World Cup star Jordy Clasie and former Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz.
7) Panathinaikos (Greece)
The Greek runners-up, who finished last season second to Olympiacos, now have former Manchester United and England youth team goalkeeper Luke Steele among their ranks, and could be one to look out for.
6) Dnipro (Ukraine)
The Ukrainian giants endured a fiery Europa League clash with Tottenham last year. Shakhtar Donetsk beat them to their domestic league target by a six point margin later that year.
5) Besiktas (Turkey)
The third place team from Turkey last season, they finished behind Fenerbahçe (who are excluded from European competition), and Galatasaray.
4) Standard Liege (Belgium)
The Belgian runners-up have a talented squad that included former Celtic youngster Tony Watt, who famously scored the winner against Barcelona for the Scottish side two seasons ago.
3) FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
The Danish runners-up, who finished second to AaB Fodbold. They are well accustomed to Champions League football, having faced Manchester United in 2006 and Chelsea in 2011.
2) Lille (France)
Liverpool loanee Divock Origi (pictured) could be among the talented Lille squad aiming for a spot in this season’s Champions League. The French side finished third to PSG and AS Monaco in Ligue 1 last term.
1) Athletic Bilbao (Spain)
The Spanish side took fourth place in La Liga last season, well behind Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Despite the departure of Ander Herrera for Manchester United, they still have an exciting squad that includes the likes of Iker Muniain and Aritz Aduriz.