Köln v Arsenal background
Köln might need to make it dual home wins on unbroken matchdays if they are to stay in row to validate from UEFA Europa League Group H, given already-qualified Arsenal know that if they equivocate better in a Cathedral City, tip mark in a organisation is theirs.
• The German bar will be out if they remove and there is a leader in a other organisation tie between BATE Borisov and Crvena zvezda. A pull will not be adequate to keep Köln’s hopes afloat if Crvena zvezda win in Belarus.
Previous meetings
• The clubs’ initial assembly in UEFA competition, on matchday one, was a 3-1 feat for Arsenal, who recovered from a 1-0 half-time necessity to measure 3 times after a interlude by Sead KolaÅ¡inac, Alexis Sánchez and Héctor BellerÃn.
• Arsenal’s record in 37 games opposite Bundesliga sides is W17 D6 L14 (W5 D5 L8 away). Their final 3 matches in Germany have all finished in defeat, with a sum of dual goals scored and 12 conceded.
• Köln’s record in 13 encounters with English clubs is W2 D4 L7 (W2 D1 L3 during home). Among their home defeats was a 1-0 detriment to Nottingham Forest in a second leg of a 1978/79 European Cup semi-final – a outcome that denied them a place in a final following a 3-3 pull in Nottingham.
Form guide
• Köln’s 5-2 feat during home to BATE on matchday 4 finished a run of 4 European defeats – 3 in Group H and one in a 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
• Through to a turn of 32 already with 10 points from their initial 4 Group H games, Arsenal have not mislaid (penalty shoot-outs notwithstanding) in 9 UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League games (W7 D2) given a 2-1 retreat during Deportivo La Coruña in Mar 2000. They have won all 4 divided fixtures in this foe given that better in Galicia.
• Runners-up to Real Madrid in a two-legged 1986 UEFA Cup final, Köln are behind in Europe for a initial time in 20 years. Their usually prior organisation campaigns were in a UEFA Intertoto Cup; these are their initial autumnal European fixtures for a entertain of a century.
• Arsenal are creation their UEFA Europa League organisation theatre debut; their final debate in this foe was a 1999/2000 UEFA Cup, that finished unhappily when they mislaid on penalties to Galatasaray in a final.
Links and trivia
• The tour from London to perfume is around 500km.
• Köln’s Marco Höger (2015–16) and Christian Clemens (2013–16) played alongside Arsenal’s KolaÅ¡inac during Schalke in Germany.
• Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker, Shkodran Mustafi and Mesut Özil are all German, while Granit Xhaka (Mönchengladbach 2012-16), Francis Coquelin (Freiburg 2013–14) and KolaÅ¡inac (Schalke 2012–17) have Bundesliga experience.
• Arsenal’s north London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur suffered their heaviest European better opposite Köln – 8-0 in a 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
• Although they mislaid their initial 3 Group H fixtures, Köln were a competition’s top scorers final time out with their 5-2 win opposite BATE.
The coaches
• Peter Stöger has guided Köln behind into Europe for a initial time in 20 years. A four-time joining champion – and 65-times capped general – as a actor in his local Austria, he changed to Köln after steering Austria Wien to a 2012/13 title.
• Arsène Wenger has been Arsenal trainer given 1996, heading a Gunners to 3 English titles, 7 FA Cups and a 2006 UEFA Champions League final. An mediocre player, he done his name as a manager with Nancy and Monaco in his local France.