MX23RW : Thursday, April 18 11:46:53| >> :60:257:257:

Who could Arsenal face in Champions League qualifying draw?

Sports Mole takes a look at who Arsenal could face in the Champions League qualifying round.

After edging out Everton for fourth place in the Premier League table last season, Arsenal must compete in the final qualifying round of the Champions League if they want to progress through to Europe's premier competition.

With the 'Champions' route being introduced a few years ago, the passage for those who ended their respective domestic campaigns in the final qualification spot has been made much tougher, and the Gunners could be handed a tricky tie in tomorrow's draw.

Below, Sports Mole takes a look at the five opponents that Arsene Wenger's side could face as they attempt to reach the group stages for the 17th successive year.

1. Athletic Bilbao

In a year where much of the focus was on the dramatic three-way fight for the La Liga title, the exploits of Athletic Bilbao almost went unnoticed as they secured a Champions League spot for the first time in 15 years.

During that period, they competed numerous times in the UEFA Cup and Europa League, where they were runners-up in 2012, but after the club were forced to move on after the departure of striker Fernando Llorente, they've rebuilt a squad to contend below the three giants in Spain.

Athletic Bilbao's players celebrate a goal during the Spanish league football match Athletic Bilbao vs Rayo Vallecano at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao on December 22, 2013© Getty Images

Bilbao, lead by Ernesto Valverde, followed up a 12th-place finish in 2013 by ending the last campaign in fourth place, losing just eight games along the way as they finished seven points above their nearest rivals.

Los Leones have seen Ander Herrera leave for Manchester United, but with Aritz Aduriz proving an able replacement for Llorente over the past two years, this would undoubtedly be Arsenal's toughest fixture of the five possibilities.

2. Lille

With the free-spending Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco doing as expected and finishing in the top two of Ligue 1 last year, it was deemed as a success when Lille managed to secure third place behind France's stellar teams.

Rene Girard has put together a rigid, well-drilled team in his 12 months at the club, but while their European opposition will be wary of a formidable defence that conceded just 26 goals last season, it's their attacking options that will create the most significant worries over the two legs.

Divock Origi, who impressed for Belgium at the World Cup, has returned to the club after signing with Liverpool, while Salomon Kalou has netted almost a goal every two games during his time in France.

3. Besiktas

Besiktas are no strangers to European football after a prolonged period in the upper echolons of Turkish football, but it has been four years since they featured in the Champions League group stages.

During that time, a last-16 appearance in the Europa League is their best result, and coach Slaven Bilic will be keen to see his team make an impact away from their domestic participation.

Swansea's Angel Rangel and Chelsea's Demba Ba in actionduring the Premier League match on April 13, 2014© Getty Images

Kara Kartallar have been boosted with the summer addition of Chelsea striker Demba Ba, and if Arsenal are given a two-legged tie with Besiktas, he is likely to pose plenty of problems for the North London outfit.

4. Standard Liege

Standard Liege showed that they are a team on the up by ending the regular season in Belgium in first place, but they were unable to win their domestic title after recording just four wins from 10 games in the league playoffs.

However, the runners-up spot was enough to earn them a place in the final qualifying round, but they will have to upset the odds if they are to overcome one of the seeded teams in the draw.

Tony Watt will be well known to British football supporters for scoring the winning goal for Celtic against Barcelona in 2012, but other than the Scottish forward, Guy Luzon's team doesn't contain any players that will strike much fear in the opposition.

5. Copenhagen

The Danish side have long been considered as one of the first-tier minnows of European football, but they proved last year that they have what it takes to take on some of the best teams in the competition.

A 1-1 draw with Juventus and a 1-0 victory over Galatasaray ensured that they remained in contention for a place in the knockout stages going into the final group fixture, but a 2-0 home defeat to eventual winners Real Madrid put paid to their aspirations.

Cardiff's Andreas Cornelius in action against Cheltenham during a friendly match on July 27, 2013© Getty Images

However, Stale Solbakken, who briefly coached Wolverhampton Wanderers in the second part of 2012, is slowly reproducing the togetherness that saw the Danes draw with Barcelona and beat Manchester United in his previous reign with the club and they will be no pushovers for any of the seeded teams.

Copenhagen have been hit with the retirement of Olof Mellberg, but the return of striker Andreas Cornelius, who flopped at Cardiff City, will provide them with a greater threat in attack.

ID:169922: cacheID:169922:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9411:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Lille's Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou celebrates after scoring with his teammate Lille's French midfielder Jonathan Delaplace during the French L1 football match Lorient vs Lille on May 17, 2014
Read Next:
Girard uncertain on Kalou's Lille future
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!