It’s safe to assume many Arsenal fans woke up with quite the doom and gloom feeling over their head this morning. Another tragic loss in the Premier League, this time to Burnley of all sides, has continued and compounded on the overwhelming feelings of anxiety, worry, and frustration.
This morning’s Europa League draw was as sharp reminder that no matter how badly this season goes, the show must go on. Here in December, the games come thick and fast, but the Europa League knockout stages are just around the corner. The draw for Europa League’s round of 32 matches see Arsenal set to play Benfica.
Benfica currently sits in second place in Primeira Liga after nine matches on 21 points. Arsenal have played very few competitive matches against the Portuguese side, last playing in 1991 where Arsenal lost 1 and drew 1 in the European Cup. More recently, the Gunners faced Benfica in a 2017 friendly at The Emirates that saw Arsenal win 5-2.
The official dates and times have yet to be set for those match, but February would be a good guess.
Gunner Thoughts 