Arsenal would take Europa League seriously – Wenger

Arsenal would take the Europa League seriously if they were to be knocked out of the Champions League, according to Arsene Wenger.

Wenger’s men host Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday and will be eliminated if results go against them.

A return of three points from four matches has left Arsenal with the likely possibility of battling it out for third spot and a place in Europe’s second-tier competition.

Matches in the Europa League are played on Thursdays and it has been suggested that scheduling can have an adverse impact on a side’s domestic form. 

However, Wenger said: “We would take the competition seriously – but we are not out yet.

“I believe that this problem is exaggerated a little bit in England because we play Wednesday and Saturday, so it is the same as Thursday and Sunday. I can’t see the difference.

“There are plenty of examples in Portugal and Spain where teams have taken it seriously and won the championship. Benfica are the example, Sevilla have done well.”

Arsenal have not failed to progress from the initial Champions League group stage since 1999-2000, when they went on to reach the final of the UEFA Cup and lost on penalties to Galatasaray.