Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that he and his team would take the Europa League "seriously" if they drop into the competition by failing to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
The North London outfit face a difficult task of reaching the final 16 as they need to win against Dinamo Zagreb tonight and hope that Bayern Munich get all three points when the German side face Olympiacos.
Should Arsenal finish third in Group F, then they will compete in the second tier European competition.
"We would take the competition seriously, but we are not out yet," Sky Sports News quotes Wenger as saying.
"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."
Premier League clubs Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will be playing for a spot in the Europa League round of 32 this week.
Danielle Joynson
