Arsenal's quest to lift this season's Europa League trophy begins with group stage games against PSV Eindhoven, Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich.
On paper, that looks like a favourable draw for the Gunners. In terms of travel, trips to the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland are ideal, especially when taking into consideration that a 5000-mile round trip to Azerbaijan was on the table with Qarabag amongst the teams in Pot 2.
Now, it goes without saying that Mikel Arteta won't be taking any of the teams lightly. PSV, perhaps, are Arsenal's biggest threat to topping the group as they have a lot of firepower within their ranks - led by the much sought after Cody Gakpo - whilst Ruud van Nistelrooy's presence should add even more spice to the two meetings.
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Not many Gunners supporters will be too familiar with Bodo/Glimt - hence a lot of Google searches after the draw was made - but Jose Mourinho can attest to not overlooking them as his Roma side were beaten 6-1 by the Norwegian outfit in the Europa Conference League group stage last season.
As for FC Zurich, they have already claimed one British team scalp by knocking out Scotland's Hearts and, despite being one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition, could very well pose problems for Arsenal if complacency were to kick in.
With that said, it is a group that the north London outfit should emerge from. However, it should be noted that this season's schedule in European competition is unique due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup being staged in the winter rather than the summer to avoid the intense heat in Qatar.
As a result, it means the fixture list is a lot more condensed as the group stage will be completed in eight weeks instead of the usual 12. Furthermore, from the Europa League opener on September 8 to when the Premier League breaks for the World Cup on November 12, Arsenal will play 17 games across all competitions.
To play so many games in the space of 65 days is somewhat of a nightmare scenario as Arteta's squad will be tested to the limit and he's already set his sights on lifting the trophy next May. "You have to go all out in every competition where we are present, try to win it. Go step by step obviously and let’s see what the draw brings," he said before the draw was made.
Well, the draw has not only paired the Gunners with PSV Eindhoven, Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich, but has also handed Arteta and technical director Edu an incentive to get some deals done before the summer transfer window closes a week before the Europa League group stage gets underway.
One look at the Arsenal squad and it's clear they have depth in many areas. To think Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith Rowe are no longer regulars simply highlights the great business Arteta and Edu have done to this point and this factor will be key when attempting to maintain their fine start to the new Premier League season and racing out of the blocks to assert their dominance in their Europa League group.
But if there's an area where the Gunners are short, it's in attack and after letting Nicolas Pepe complete a loan move to OGC Nice, it's imperative a replacement is signed. The good news is that Arteta has already revealed the club are working on a plan to do so amid talk of a £50m swoop for Wolves winger Pedro Neto.
Although, should a deal fail to materialise, it's important that plan B is activated as the Europa League draw provides an opportunity for Bukayo Saka to sit out most, if not all, of the group stage as he has shown signs of burnout over the past year which is linked to the number of games he has played before the age of 20.
Unsurprisingly, Arsenal will want to ensure the quality doesn't drop when Saka is left out of the side and if Pedro Neto - or a Wilfried Zaha or Moussa Diaby - can be signed up before deadline day, they will be better equipped to deal with the demands of 17 games in 65 days where squad rotation will be vital.
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