Arsenal will take on Chelsea in the Europa League final this week at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan.
And right now, the biggest concern for the Gunners fans is in regards with their No 1 spot.
Bernd Leno should be the obvious choice for the goalkeeping position during this showpiece event vs the Blues but this season Petr Cech has been the European keeper for manager Unai Emery.
Petr Cech has announced that he will be retiring from professional football at the end of the season which means that the Europa League final vs his former side could be his last game.
And many experts believe that Unai Emery might just stick with Petr Cech in goal despite Bernd Leno being the logical choice.
Now speaking about the prospect of starting the Europa League final on the bench, Bernd Leno has said that he would be happy to watch his teammate get a grand farewell this week in Baku.
“I have great respect for Petr, and we get along very well,” said Leno(as reported).
“He deserves all credit, and I treat him well, but it’s clear that I’m an athlete, I want to always play, especially in a final.
“To win the Europa League would be the first big title for me. We all want to hear the [Champions League] anthem again.
“The Thursday-Sunday rhythm is also not so good because you always suffer in the league. If we lose the final, our season, which was actually good, would be disappointing.”
While Bernd Leno does not have any problems with Petr Cech starting in front of goal vs the Blues but pundit Tony Cascarino has predicted that if Emery takes this call then he could be meet with some serious ramifications after the game.
“Petr Cech should not play in the Europa League final for Arsenal,” Cascarino wrote in The Times(as reported).
“Not because he is due to join their opponents Chelsea as a sporting director but because, at this stage in his career, he is a far inferior player to their No 1 goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
“I’d almost go so far as saying that if a manager picks a second-choice goalkeeper in a game of such magnitude then it is a sackable offence. It’s total negligence.
“Cech is the No 2 at Arsenal for a reason. The club signed Leno for £19 million from Bayer Leverkusen last summer because Cech was on the wane and it will be ridiculous if the 37-year-old starts the biggest game of their season next Wednesday.
“There is so much on the line: a major trophy and the glory that brings to the club and its fans, Champions League qualification, the money you get from reaching that competition.
“You simply cannot justify picking Cech with so much at stake.
“This is the final match of a difficult campaign and it is clear that they would have a better chance of winning with Leno in goal. Sometimes clubs and managers open themselves up for criticism and Arsenal and Emery will be doing just that if they pick Cech and he makes a mistake and they lose the match.”
