Conference League Draw: conference league draw and Arteta tempers quadruple chat after Champions League draw

Mikel Arteta has insisted he is not thinking about Arsenal winning the quadruple but said he is excited by the possibilities that have opened up after Friday's Champions League draw, and the phrase conference league draw appears in the club's wider media chatter. The Gunners will face Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 and could meet Bodo/Glimt or Sporting Lisbon in a potential quarterfinal.

Arteta on the quadruple

Arteta cautioned against dwelling on outcomes while speaking about the club's current run of form. "We are really excited being in the four fronts and the way the team is consistently performing gives you a lot of hope and positive thoughts about what can be coming, " Arteta said. "But we can only focus on the present. That is where we are going to put our energy and that's on Sunday. "

When asked whether he had allowed himself to think about the possibility of winning the quadruple, Arteta said: "Not really, not so much on the outcome. I focus on what we have to do to continue in the manner and the trajectory that we are as a team and from there obviously try to improve it.

"Has it [the quadruple] been done? That's how difficult it is. Let's go game by game and let's try to earn the right to continue to be there until the last stage of every single competition and then we will see what happens. "

Conference League Draw reaction

Media coverage and punditry have followed the Champions League draw; the 'FC TV' crew debate if Martin Ødegaard should leave Arsenal in the summer transfer window. (2: 53) Arsenal have not only landed a favourable Champions League draw but they are also set to receive a key boost ahead of their Carabao Cup final and Premier League meetings against rivals Manchester City.

Champions League opponents confirmed

The Gunners will meet Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League round of 16. Should Arsenal progress, their potential quarterfinal opponent would be either Bodo/Glimt or Sporting Lisbon. Arteta was asked for his reaction to the last-16 draw, which took place in the hours before his press conference.

Injury and availability update

On player fitness, Kai Havertz is set to resume training tomorrow while Max Dowman will play for Arsenal's Under-21s against Ipswich Town later on Friday. Arteta added "let's see" regarding Ben White's availability. In his remarks at the press conference he also said: "Yeah we are hopeful. Max will play some minutes tonight with the under-21s, Kai, we will see. " And: "No so far, we are waiting on tomorrow, the last training session to understand if we have one or two available. "

Domestic context and recent form

Arsenal remain in contention across all competitions as they sit top of the Premier League ahead of next month's Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, with an FA Cup fifth round trip to League One Mansfield Town to come next weekend. Talk of the quadruple follows a dramatic shift in mood after last weekend's 4-1 win at Tottenham.

Arteta reflected on recent mistakes and his own emotional management: "It is something that I need, if not it becomes insane if you are like this [motions up and down] every single day, if you are happy and sad like this, you cannot be like this, " Arteta said. "You cannot give your best with that. Obviously you have to be very critical with yourself, analytical with what we do and try to always be as good as we possibly can. I try to be as stable as possible, try to have perspective always about what a result or a performance brings outside or within the group and always try to be positive about it. "

The manager also referenced defensive lapses earlier in the season: Arsenal had previously dropped points at Wolves, allowing a 2-0 lead to slip in a 2-2 draw against the bottom-placed team.

Wider team news and FPL notes

The press build-up and fan-facing coverage touched on a range of team-news items and Fantasy Premier League talking points ahead of Gameweek 28. This week's FPL deadline is 18: 30 BST on Friday. FPL expert Heisenberg (Wes Prickett) has seven finishes inside the top 30k and a best finish of 836th.

Team-news headlines listed alongside FPL coverage included Havertz, Dowman & White; De Ligt & Mount; Cucurella; Alcaraz; Doku back in training; Wirtz & Frimpong; Guimaraes & Miley; and Lewis Cook. A typical fan question asked: "Who is your captain this week? Can Fernandes rack up the points at home to Crystal Palace?" In FPL Q& A format, Heisenberg addressed whether it is possible to do well without Erling Haaland and cited the season-long difficulty when a player is "red-hot" and widely captained; he mentioned Mo Salah, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka as other expensive players who can influence that decision.

Other notes from the press coverage: Arsenal face another big-club meeting with Chelsea after already knocking the Blues out of the Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage. Chelsea have not beaten Arsenal since August 2021. Arteta stressed the importance of focusing on preparation and belief: "No, I think what it is is about the confidence and the preparation. Play with the belief and the conviction that you are going to do it. " He also offered broader reflections: "We will see, let's go through the season, we have alreayd discussed the potential outcomes. We are already very very happy with him. "

On the league picture beyond Arsenal, the press coverage noted that this London derby is one of the last big-club face-offs in the remaining 10 matches as Arsenal chase the Premier League title, and that Liam Rosenior's side's draw at home to Burnley was damaging, with both Liverpool and Manchester United putting pressure on them in terms of Champions League qualification.

Further colourful remarks from Arteta at the press conference included: "Well when you finish like this you only want to be first, imagine how the rest of the teams are. Try to get better, try to excel. " He added: "I think we have scored more goals ever in the history of Arsenal football club, so you can attach any name you like. " On individual demands and training, he said: "I don't know, that's a question for him. The demands that he puts on himself, to help the team. Ask when our players when they have to train against him, they say 'it's a nightmare'" and described a striker as: "He is an incredible striker. He needs to understand the team the league better. "

Separately, pundit and media segments continue to debate transfer questions highlighted by the 'FC TV' clip and fan interaction tools invite questions and engagement ahead of the Carabao Cup final and league run-in.

Closing line: Arsenal's immediate focus remains on the next match while fitness and selection ahead of the Carabao Cup final, FA Cup trip to Mansfield Town and the Champions League tie with Bayer Leverkusen are being monitored closely.