Former Tottenham player Jamie O'Hara has predicted that Arsenal will 'crumble' in the Europa League this season upon their return to the competition. It comes ahead of the Gunners' opening game in Group A, where they will travel to Switzerland and face FC Zurich in matchweek one.
Mikel Arteta guided his side back into continental football for this season, but not the competition he would've preferred after missing out on a top four finish and Champions League qualification. Despite that, the Spaniard has claimed he is excited for the challenge ahead.
“We missed it last year so much: those nights at the Emirates, the atmosphere, playing against European teams. The preparation is very different and it’s great," Arteta said.
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With concerns over the squad depth, it remains to be seen exactly how far Arsenal can get in the competition, having failed to win the competition when reaching the final under Unai Emery. A win over Zurich would get their campaign off to an ideal start against the lowest coefficient side in the group.
However, ex-Spurs man O'Hara has predicted the Gunners to fail in the competition, telling TalkSPORT: "Do they win it? No, I don’t think they do win it. They’re going to crumble.
"I think Arsenal’s main aim this season is to get back into the Champions League. They’ll focus on that. I think they’ll go out in the quarter-finals.”
It remains to be seen how seriously Arsenal will take the competition, with European success up for grabs, but they'll be hoping to do better than O'Hara predicts.
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