Arsenal manager Unai Emery has admitted that he is keeping the Gunners' options to reach the Champions League open by taking the Europa League seriously.
The north London giants will face Sporting Lisbon in their Europa League Group E clash at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday night as both teams aim to maintain their winning start in the competition.
Arsenal’s win over Leicester City on Monday at the Emirates means that the Gunners have now won 10 games in a row across all competitions since their defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea respectively early on in the season.
Emery’s men are looking increasingly confident with every passing game and have played fine football during their stellar turnaround in fortunes under the new manager.
The Gunners have climbed back into the top four and the race for a place in the Champions League next season is heating up in the Premier League with all of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur level on 21 points.
Emery, who won the Europa League three times in a row with Sevilla, admitted that he is taking the competition seriously this year as it can buy Arsenal a free ticket to the Champions League next season.
“Sporting are a very good team, with big experience and good players. In this moment we are two teams both in first position”, Emery said in a press conference ahead of the meeting with Sporting Lisbon.
"In our mind we want to be first in this group. It is a very big match and very important for our confidence.
"For us, for Arsenal and the supporters, I am telling them this competition is very important because it's one title and also you go into the Champions League next year.
"We want the balance to score a lot and not concede a lot of goals. For me it is very important to score goals and also for the supporters to be excited with what happens on the pitch."
Arsenal are the second-highest goalscorers, only behind leaders Manchester City, in the Premier League with 22 goals from their nine games so far this season.
