Europa League: Arsenal to face Cologne, Red Star Belgrade and BATE Borisov in group stage

Aug 25, 2017

ARSENAL have been handed a tough test against Cologne in the Europa League as well as nightmare trips to Belorussia and Serbia.

The Gunners were drawn from pot one in Monaco and reality bit as Eric Abidal and Henrik Larsson pulled the balls out of the bag and named their Group H opponents.

Arsene Wenger will manage Arsenal in the Europa league for the first time — Arsene Wenger will manage Arsenal in the Europa League for the first time

It remains to be seen whether Alexis Sanchez will hang around to play

And – rather than the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid – Cologne, BATE Borisov and Red Star Belgrade were the teams they.

The Gunners may be playing outside of the Champions League for the first time in 21 years.

But Alexander Hleb would surely have leapt off his sofa when two of his former clubs were drawn against each other.

Reigning Belorussian champions BATE Borisov were the first team to be drawn against the Gunners.

And that leaves Arsene Wenger‘s team with a 2,700-mile round trip to visit a 13,000-seater stadium.

Lukas Podolski is another ex-Gunner who will have split loyalties when the Emirates side face Cologne.

The kind of scenes that await Arsenal when they face Red Star Belgrade

Red Star fans are renowned for creating red-hot atmospheres

The German outfit should represent the trickiest test in the group, having finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season.

And the fourth team the Gunners drew were Red Star Belgrade.

The Serbian outfit, who were champions of Europe in 1991, will be sure to create a cauldron of an atmosphere when Arsenal visit their 55,000-seater Rajko Mitic Stadium.

And that ensures another mega journey for Wenger’s team, with 2,600 air miles to be racked up on that trip.

Everton will face will face Lyon, Atalanta and Apollon Limassol in Group E.