Unai Emery is eyeing another Europa League crown with Premier League powerhouses Arsenal set to play Ligue 1 outfit Rennes.
Arsenal legend Perry Groves has backed The Gunners to progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after they were paired with Rennes in the round of 16, speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT (22 February, 12.30pm).
Unai Emery famously won Europe’s secondary club competition three times in a row during his trophy-laden spell in charge of Sevilla and his Arsenal side are in contention to lift the title this season, overcoming BATE Borisov with a 3-0 win at The Emirates on Thursday.
Their reward is a two-legged tie with French outfit Rennes with the sides set to meet for the first time at The Emirates in the first week of March.
Rennes are 11th in the Ligue 1 table but just six points off the Champions League places. And Groves believes that Arsenal should be confident of progressing to the latter stages after avoiding the likes of Chelsea, Inter Milan, Benfica, Napoli and Emery’s former employers Sevilla and Valencia.
“Nice little trip for the Gooners fans. Lovely little place,” said Groves, who won the first division title with Arsenal in 1988 and 1991, before employing the Spanish coach to call upon Mesut Ozil again after the German shone in a rare start against BATE.
“You’d like to be away (from home) first but Unai Emery; please play Mesut Ozil.
“You’d expect Arsenal would be favourites if they are at it, mentally right and Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi aren’t injured. Then they’ll win the game.”
Rennes have a number of dangerous attacking players, including the coveted winger Ismaila Sarr, former Newcastle United forward Hatem Ben Arfa and one-time AC Milan speedster Mbaye Niang.
Groves, however, believes Arsenal are lucky compared to Chelsea, who will have to make a gruelling trip to the Ukraine to face Dynamo Kiev.
“Arsenal have probably got the better draw.”
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