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Former Arsenal star Hleb expects tough Europa League meeting for BATE

A lack of competitive action and a host of departures mean that confidence is low for the Belarusian champions ahead of Thursday's tie

Former Arsenal man Alexander Hleb admits that current side BATE Borisov are huge underdogs for their Europa League tie with the Gunners - not least because they have not taken the field since December.

Arsenal travel to Belarus on Thursday for the first leg of the last-32 tie, before welcoming BATE to the Emirates Stadium the following week.

But BATE face an uphill battle, having been out of action for more than two months due to the Belarusian Premier League's winter break.