Arsenal have been drawn against favourites Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Europa League.
The Gunners came from 2-0 down to draw the second leg of their quarter-final at CSKA Moscow 2-2 on Thursday night, progressing 6-3 on aggregate against the Russian side.
The other semi-final will be between French club Marseille and Austrian outfit Salzburg, who advanced following fine comeback wins over RB Leipzig and Lazio respectively.
For Arsenal it is possibly the worst draw to have, knowing they will have to head to the Wanda Metropolitano for the second leg against one of Spain’s top sides.
The first legs will be played on April 26, with the second legs on May 3.
Europa League draw LIVE: Arsenal are in the hat for the semi-finals
EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW LIVE
[Draw at 11am]
11:11: And now we have the draw for the final! That’s right, this is to see which team will be the ‘first’ side and get the home dressing room.
Turns out the winners of Semi-Final 1 will be the ‘home’ side against the winners of Semi-Final 2.
Is that an omen for Arsenal? No idea!
FULL DRAW:
Marseille vs Salzburg Arsenal vs Atletico
11:10: We’re underway!
11:08: Eric Abidal will draw the balls. We have lovely montage of him before he comes out onto the stage.
11:07: UEFA bigwig Giorgio Marchetti is now going through the draw rules. And explaining what happened in the previous round. We know that Giorgio! We all read Express Sport’s build-up!
11:05: Gone are the days when they cut to a shabby corner of some hotel room and quickly pulled names out of a hat. The second montage is underway at UEFA HQ. Arsenal officials can be seen waiting patiently…
11:01: The presentation in Switzerland is underway. And of course we start with a montage! This of the final host city, Lyon. What fun.
REUTERS
Giorgio Marchetti hosted the draw
GETTY
Arsenal are seeking a first European trophy under Arsene Wenger
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It’s nearly time…
10:55: The Europa League draw is not too far away now. Remember, this is Arsenal’s only realistic chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season. It would also be a first European trophy for Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal have conducted a poll on their Twitter page asking fans who they want to face.
The results:
Atletico 27%
Salzburg 51%
Marseille 22%
How the teams got through
10:30: So, Arsenal slipped into the Europa League semi-finals after a nervy clash with CSKA. They went through 6-3, having drawn 2-2 in the second leg in Moscow.
But the other three quarter-finals were even closer than the Gunners’ experience.
Salzburg overturned a 4-2 deficit to beat Lazio 6-5 on aggregate to barge into the last-four. All four goals of their 4-1 second-leg victory came in 20 second-half minutes.
Marseille dumped RB Leipzig out 5-3 on aggregate, winning their second leg 5-2 in France.
And Atletico Madrid lost 1-0 at Sporting on Thursday night but still went through 2-1 on aggregate.
GETTY
Europa League draw LIVE: Arsenal beat CSKA Moscow to reach the semis
The draw for the semi-final takes place tomorrow - which team do you want to face next?