Arsenal, Chelsea ready to roll as Europa League takes centre stage

English giants, Chelsea and Arsenal will continue their quests for continental glory today when they return to the Europa League at the Stamford Bridge and Rennes respectively. While Chelsea will host Dynamo Kiev in London, Arsenal will travel to France for the first leg of their tie against Rennes. Both matches will be broadcast in Nigeria by StarTimes on its Channels 254 and 245..

Saturday’s north London derby draw against Tottenham at Wembley saw Arsenal slip out of the Premier League top four, with Manchester United taking the place of the Gunners in the Champions League qualification spots.

Arsenal host United on Sunday in a game which could go a long way to deciding their top four fate, but first they must travel to France to take on Rennes in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

The former Lyon striker, Alexandre Lacazette will miss both legs of Arsenal’s last-16 Europa League tie against Rennes after UEFA increased his suspension from one to three matches for elbowing BATE Borisov defender Aleksandar Filipovi during the Gunners’ last -32 first leg in Belarus.

With the race for top four in the Premier League hitting up, Maurizio Sarri may well see winning the Europa League as the most realistic avenue into the Champions League.