Tshepo’s picks

The biggest motivation for Arsenal players ahead of their first leg Europa semifinal with Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium is to ensure that they give their coach Arsene Wenger a perfect send off with a trophy after the Frenchman announced that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.

Another big motivation for the English club to go all the way and lift the trophy is to earn themselves a spot in the Champions League with the club unlikely to finish inside the top four of the league table which secures a spot. Arsenal are currently sixth on the log with 57 points, 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham who are on 68 points.

The Gunners of London, however, won’t find it easy to overcome a well-balanced side like Atletico. Their coach Diego Simeone is yet to lose an away European match in England as Atletico coach, registering one win and a draw against Chelsea and a draw with Leicester City.

This is a very close tie, but I will give it to Arsenal. Pool Name: S6 V3 P1 M1: Arsenal v Atletico Madrid. Previewed above. Tip: Arsenal win = 1 M2: Marseille v Salzburg. Marseille win. Tip: Marseille win = 1 M3: Cruzeiro v Universidad Chile. Victory for Cruzeiro. Tip: Cruzeiro win = 1 M4: CA River Plate v Emelec. River Plate to go through. Tip: River Plate win =1 M5: Junior v Alianza Lima. Home win for Junior. Tip: Junior win = 1 M6: Vasco da Gama v Racing Club. Victory for Racing Club. Tip: Racing Club win = 3 Bet on this pool and TAB’s other football pools – go to citizen.co.za and click on the Racing Express Hot Tips of the Day/Place Your Bet Now link to open a betting account with TAB. We’ll make it easy for you to start cashing in on your football knowledge.