UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2017/18 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Stadion Köln - Thursday 23 November 2017 19.00CET (19.00 local time) 1. FC Köln Group H - Matchday 5 Arsenal FC Last updated 22/11/2017 03:16CET

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1 1. FC Köln - Arsenal FC Thursday 23 November 2017 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Stadion Köln, Cologne

Match background

Köln may need to make it two home wins on successive matchdays if they are to stay in contention to qualify from UEFA Europa League Group H, whereas already-qualified Arsenal know that if they avoid defeat in the Cathedral City, top spot in the group is theirs. • The German club will be out if they lose and there is a winner in the other group fixture between BATE Borisov and Crvena zvezda. A draw will not be enough to keep Köln's hopes afloat if Crvena zvezda win in Belarus. Previous meetings • The clubs' first meeting in UEFA competition, on matchday one, was a 3-1 victory for Arsenal, who recovered from a 1-0 half-time deficit to score three times after the interval through Sead Kolašinac, Alexis Sánchez and Héctor Bellerín. • Arsenal's record in 37 games against Bundesliga sides is W17 D6 L14 (W5 D5 L8 away). Their last three matches in Germany have all ended in defeat, with a total of two goals scored and 12 conceded. • Köln's record in 13 encounters with English clubs is W2 D4 L7 (W2 D1 L3 at home). Among their home defeats was a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the 1978/79 European Cup semi-final – a result that denied them a place in the final following a 3-3 draw in Nottingham. Form guide • Köln's 5-2 victory at home to BATE on matchday four ended a run of four European defeats – three in Group H and one in the 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup. • Through to the round of 32 already with ten points from their first four Group H games, Arsenal have not lost (penalty shoot-outs notwithstanding) in nine UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League games (W7 D2) since a 2-1 reverse at Deportivo La Coruña in March 2000. They have won all four away fixtures in this competition since that defeat in Galicia. • Runners-up to Real Madrid in the two-legged 1986 UEFA Cup final, Köln are back in Europe for the first time in 20 years. Their only previous group campaigns were in the UEFA Intertoto Cup; these are their first autumnal European fixtures for a quarter of a century. • Arsenal are making their UEFA Europa League group stage debut; their last campaign in this competition was the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup, which ended unhappily when they lost on penalties to Galatasaray in the final. Links and trivia • The journey from London to Cologne is around 500km. • Köln's Marco Höger (2015–16) and Christian Clemens (2013–16) played alongside Arsenal's Kolašinac at 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 Kolašinac (Schalke 2012–17) have Bundesliga experience. • Arsenal's north London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur suffered their heaviest European defeat against Köln – 8-0 in the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup. • Although they lost their first three Group H fixtures, Köln were the competition's highest scorers last time out with their 5-2 win against BATE. The coaches • Peter Stöger has guided Köln back into Europe for the first time in 20 years. A four-time league champion – and 65- times capped international – as a player in his native Austria, he moved to Köln after steering Austria Wien to the 2012/13 title. • Arsène Wenger has been Arsenal boss since 1996, leading the Gunners to three English titles, seven FA Cups and the 2006 UEFA Champions League final. An unremarkable player, he made his name as a coach with Nancy and Monaco in his native France.

2 1. FC Köln - Arsenal FC Thursday 23 November 2017 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Stadion Köln, Cologne Legend Competitions

Club competitions National team competitions UCL: UEFA Champions League EURO: UEFA European Football Championship ECCC: European Champion Clubs' Cup WC: FIFA World Cup UEL: UEFA Europa League CONFCUP: FIFA Confederations Cup UCUP: UEFA Cup FRIE: Friendly internationals UCWC: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup U21FRIE: Under-21 friendly internationals SCUP: UEFA Super Cup U21: UEFA European Under-21 Championship UIC: UEFA Intertoto Cup U17: UEFA Under-17 Championship ICF: Inter-Cities Fairs Cup U16: UEFA European Under-16 Championship U19: UEFA Under-19 Championship U18: UEFA European Under-18 Championship WWC: FIFA Women's World Cup WEURO: UEFA European Women's Championship Competition stages Other abbreviations F: Final GS: Group stage (aet): After extra time pens: Penalties GS1: First group stage GS2: Second group stage No.: Number og: Own goal 3QR: Third qualifying round R1: First round ag: Match decided on away P: Penalty R2: Second round R3: Third round goals agg: Aggregate R4: Fourth round PR: Preliminary round Pld: Matches played AP: Appearances SF: Semi-finals QF: Quarter-finals Pos.: Position Comp.: Competition R16: round of 16 QR: Qualifying round Pts: Points D: Drawn R32: Round of 32 1QR: First qualifying round R: Sent off (straight red card) DoB: Date of birth 1st: first leg 2QR: Second qualifying Res.: Result ET: Extra Time round sg: Match decided by silver GA: Goals against 2nd: second leg FT: Final tournament goal t: Match decided by toss of a PO: Play-off ELITE: Elite round coin Rep: Replay 3rdPO: Third-place play-off GF: Goals for W: Won PO - FT: Play-off for Final GS-FT: Group stage – final gg: Match decided by golden Y: Booked Tournament tournament goal L: Lost Y/R: Sent off (two yellow Nat.: Nationality cards) N/A: Not applicable f: Match forfeited Statistics -: Denotes player substituted +: Denotes player introduced *: Denotes player sent off +/-: Denotes player introduced and substituted Squad list D: Disciplinary *: Misses next match if booked S: Suspended QUAL: All UEFA qualifiers UEL: Current season total UEFA Europa League appearances from the group stage onwards prior to the current matchday UEL: Total appearances in the UEFA Europa League, group stage to final only UEFA: All-time total appearances in UEFA club competition including qualifying Disclaimer: Although UEFA has taken all reasonable care that the information contained within this document is accurate at the time of publication, no representation or guarantee (including liability towards third parties), expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, reliability or completeness. Therefore, UEFA assumes no liability for the use or interpretation of information contained herein. More information can be found in the competition regulations available on UEFA.com.

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