Both English sides have been given ‘easy’ draws
Of course there are no easy draws in the Europa League; trips to far away European cities to play in difficult conditions can throw up all sorts of obstacles, but both Chelsea and Arsenal will be content with the draw.
They both progressed through to the last 16 on Thursday, as Chelsea beat Malmö FF 3-0 (5-1 on aggregate) with goals coming from Olivier Giroud, Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was granted a rare start by Maurizio Sarri.
At the Emirates, Arsenal overcame a one goal deficit to beat BATE Borisov 3-1 on aggregate, with goals coming from their defensive partnership of Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis, and one going in off BATE’s Zakhar Volkov. The game also provided a heartwarming moment as 37-year-old Alexander Hleb was introduced from the bench for BATE and received a standing ovation from the supporters of his former club.
In Friday’s draw, Arsenal were paired with French club Rennes, while Chelsea will play Ukranian side Dynamo Kyiv.
There are still several big guns left in the competition, including Inter Milan, Napoli and Valencia and Sevilla.
The round of 16 draw can be seen below.
Pick your winners 👇 #UELdraw pic.twitter.com/CHrWD0ckTk
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) February 22, 2019
