Arsenal fourth consecutive season of Europa League football kicks off this month and we’ve just found out who’ll we’ll be facing in the group stages.
The Gunners are in Group B will take on Rapid Vienna, Norwegian side Molde, and Dundalk!
We’ve never faced any of these teams in a competitive fixture before, although a friendly between us and Rapid was abandoned in 2002.
Here’s the provisional schedule for the tournament.
Group stage
22/10/2020 Matchday 1
29/10/2020 Matchday 2
05/11/2020 Matchday 3
26/11/2020 Matchday 4
03/12/2020 Matchday 5
10/12/2020 Matchday 6
Knockout stage
18/02/2021–25/02/2021 Round of 32
11/03/2021–18/03/2021 Round of 16
08/04/2021–15/04/2021 Quarter-finals
29/04/2021–06/05/2021 Semi-finals
26/05/2021 Final
This year’s final will be hosted by Poland’s Gdansk Stadium. They were due to host the 2020 event until Covid-19 forced a change in format.
Congratulations to Sevilla on winning the tournament already.
Blogs will be over the moon with that draw.
Well fingers crossed fans are allowed back in stadiums by the away leg so blogs can go!
Given that their average attendance is about 2k I’m guessing the fans are used to social distancing.
Twat
Proving your name to be apt there buddy…
No more beers for that man!
Always fun in these chat boxes but some people… Just rude, especially to there fellow gooner. For shame.
Ooof. Someone woke up on the wrong side of their mums bed.
Hahaha! I usually rise above the unnecessary hate you sometimes get on here. But this one got me! Kudos sir.
I dunno, I’m Irish and it’s bittersweet. Arsenal are coming to Ireland to play a competitive match for what is likely to be the only time in my life, and I and all the other Irish fans probably won’t be able to go. That stings a bit
Same here. A wee trip over the border for me wouldve been great.
Dundalk prob has an arsenal fan club. They must be gutted.
Same with me here in Austria.
Same with the fans back here in England as away games to Austria, Norway and Ireland are about as good a they can get, bloody shame….
Yeah same with me. Every draw, I was like: Get Rapid, Austria or Salzburg. Very gutting. But At least we can watch it with Rapid Fans, will be interesting.
I know, I’ve been waiting for 30 years to watch Arsenal play in Ireland then I move to Michigan and then Arsenal come to Ireland to play. Although I did get to see our under 21s beat manchesthair utd 2-1 at Shamrock Rovers stadium in Tallaght. Ah happy days.
Looks like our group is quite easy and not too far. Good start already!
From an Arsenal point of view, this is very very pleasant. Austria, Norway and Ireland. Don’t have to travel far and surely we should have limited issues with topping this group.
very favorable indeed. Lets not fluff this
Send out the kids!
With Grandpa Ozil!
Not good enough!
Although he has clean slate.
NEIN NEIN NEIN!
Hello feir brigade here, what is the address of the feir please?
Easy draw, relatively short travels. I’m fine with it. Let’s try to win it. Have been close in 2 of the last 3 seasons. Time to go the whole way.
I think we should add an exclamation mark to our name
FOCK YES! Good for us blogs! Im from Vienna and obv super happy! I hate Rapid but they have a great atmosphere(considering how shite their football is). Kommen Sie, Kommen Sie!
Have Rapid started allowing fans into the stadium? I live in Germany but my town is close to the Austrian border and has direct connectivity to Vienna. Do you think we can get to watch it live?
ahh no. just checked the FAQ and with yesterday the city of Vienna lowered the capacity from 10k to 3k on open air events. focking hell.
3k? How does that work then? I’m guessing season ticket holders have priority, but have they even sold season tickets this year? Either way hope you can get in there!
lottery for season ticket holders & members in 4 different categories. first game after covid lockdown had 10k and lot of people tried to get tickets against a midtable team in the austrian bundesliga. no way any rap*d supporter gonna miss this. everything relies on the contigent they offer Arsenal but u can expect rap*d supporters gettin red memberships to get their tickets.
Their football is shite? I thought they played rapid counter attacking football?
If we went just by names, Santander would be in pole position all day long.
In fairness, they are a club with a great history, a hugely influential club between the wars.
And two time European Cup Finalists. But football has changed.
Molde FK’s previous manager? One Ole Gunnar Solskjær. It’ll (almost) be like beating United!
Norwegian’s are such pleasant people. There’s only two I despise; Anders Behring Brevik and Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
Bad taste to put those two in the same bracket
Bad taste would be to say I have great respect for the two of them.
Very bad taste and I am questioning why I enjoyed the laugh.
We should insist that Solskjær drop his middle name.
Not sure why you’d want that. You’ve clearly mastered the “æ“.
Didn’t we play Vienna in the European Cup in the early 90’s I kinda remember going to Highbury and Smudger scoring a couple 6:1 or something, we played in the classic banana kit, or am I making it all up, someone put me out of my misery.
Yes but “Austria Wien” in ’91.
a certain Ralph Hasenhüttl(now coach of Soton) was in that team!!!
https://www.transfermarkt.de/spielbericht/index/spielbericht/1083722
They are Rapid’s rival, I believe.
They are indeed.
Where did UEFA award the Final this year – somewhere sensible like Vladivostok? Our luck we make the Final and UEFA stipulates we can only take 9 players and travel by mini-bus…
I’ve read somewhere that This year’s final will be hosted by Poland’s Gdansk Stadium. They were due to host the 2020 event until Covid-19 forced a change in format, you know.
But don’t know if I can trust the source on that…
I read the same somewhere. Can’t put my finger on where it was, though..
Think I read that somewhere too. Staggering coincidence that we readers of Arseblog News all seem to be getting Arsenal news from the same source.
Any idea what Gdansk is like? If it’s anything like Wroclaw then it’ll be lovely.
Gdansk is fabulous.
Maybe this is the year I try and score some tickets to the final then. I love Poland.
Pyongyang
Bless You.
If only your fingers were interchanged with a much more useful commodity called EYES.
Good luck working a computer then mate!
Any word on who is in our group?
One of those opponents haven’t done much for a while. They’ve grown Molde…
Hat – check; Coat – check; see you guys!!
Looks OK, doesn’t it. They certainly aren’t “top drawer” on paper (like many, but not all, clubs in the Europa League) but you never know until the results are in.
I am really happy about this draw. Don’t have to travel too far, and should be some fun games against new opponents.
Blogs should be happy with that draw! Think we can top this group, easy peasy.
‘congrats to Sevilla for winning the tournament already’, made me chuckle!
I think thats the most favourable draw we’ve had since……i think that’s most most favourable draw we’ve had.
They all have secret weapons. One plastic pitch, one ice-bound pitch, one team wearing green and white camouflage. This won’t be a walk in the park. Oh no!
Wee’re doomed! Dooooomed I tell ye!!!
As much as we would prefer being in the Champions League, I have been enjoying getting to know all these lesser-known clubs from across Europe via our participation in the Europa League. It’s almost as thrilling as a cheese sampling event.
I don’t think anything comes remotely close to a really good cheese tasting event. I’d go a long way for Casu Marzu on a cracker.
Casu Marzu on a cracker? I’m pretty much sure the maggots would have eaten the cracker before it reached your mouth???
Makes a welcome change from the FC Gulags and Dinamo Politruks we normally face early in this second tier competition.
This is nice and everything, but this must be competition Arsenal should look to win over any other. Possibly even the FA Cup if the fixtures are too close. This is Arsenal’s most realistic ticket into the UCL.
And I realise that I am probably preaching to people who mostly agree
The problem is, we had three chances before. And we blew it all. Hoping for fourth time lucky.
Those are exotic names(teams) from the ends of the earth.
Time was when lots of people complained about being in CL to make up numbers…
be careful for what you wish for as I said.
And here we are.
It’s an incredible draw really. I’m a season ticket holder with Dundalk, and Arsenal.
It was always a dream that they would draw each other in a competitive fixture. FIFA levels! It’s just a pity Covid will probably ruin plans of getting to any of the games – but here we are. All the Dundalk & Irish Gooners will enjoy it regardless ??⚫️⚪️?⚪️
Molde is a decent team,small stadium , artificial pitch and the surroundings ( if good weather) is absolutely beautiful.
Nobody in Norway outside Molde like them, they’re backed by our local Ambramovitsj and most Norwegians would not get upset if Molde being thrashed well and good by Arsenal. If away fans are allowed at that time I would recommend a visit and extend it a couple of days if you are into mointaineering.