Robert Pires believes the Europa League final will be between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid as long as both teams avoid Celtic in the competition.
The retired midfielder,who won the World Cup with France in 1998, named the Gunners and Atletico Madrid as his favourites to win the tournament but warned them about Celtic.
“Atletico and Arsenal are the favourites, for me this is the final in Lyon,” said Pires, as quoted by The Sun.
“They both have a lot of experience, especially in the Champions League.
“They just need to avoid each other and Celtic if they want to face each other in the final.”
The Bhoys are set to play Zenit St Petersburg in the second leg of their Europa League tie on Thursday, and go into the game 1-0 up on aggregate.
Callum McGregor scored the only game of the goal to secure Celtic a memorable 1-0 victory over the Russian giants last Thursday at Celtic Park.
Pires continued praising the Hoops and revealed that he thought the “amazing” atmosphere at Celtic Park made the Hoops difficult to beat in the Europa League this season.
“I love Celtic, it is not easy for any team, especially in Celtic Park, the atmosphere is amazing,” stated the 44-year-old.
“When you are a player, inside, playing against Celtic, it is a great atmosphere, it is still very close to the pitch, maybe only Liverpool has a similar atmosphere.”
“That’s why it is very difficult to win in Celtic Park.”
OPINION
Pires may have only played at Celtic Park once he was retired, in Stiliyan Petrov’s charity mach in 2013, but Arsenal and Atletico Madrid should take notice of his advice. The Bhoys weren’t expected to beat Zenit at Celtic Park, but that’s exactly what they did. Brendan Rodgers’ side may face a difficult task getting a result in Russia but with them having a 1-0 lead from their first meeting, then they’ve given themselves a good chance. Rodgers knows that his performance as Hoops boss will be judged on how his side perform in the Europa League in the second half of the season, and will no doubt have a plan for the game in Russia.