BATE Borisov veteran Alexander Hleb says he'll face former club Arsenal in tonight's Europa League clash.

BATE welcome the Gunners to the Borisov Arena for the opening leg of their round of 32 clash after securing their 13th successive Belarusian Premier League title in 2018.

"Arsenal are at the peak of readiness - for them this is a huge plus," Hleb told Pressball.

"It will be hard for us, and very much so. But we will try to squeeze the maximum out of the physical form that we have gained.

"The usual preparation is under way. We held a training camp in Turkey and got into shape, as far as possible at the current stage.

"It is clear that we did not achieve ideal conditions in such a short time. But we will try to look decent at home.

"We are not yet ready (to play at) 100 per cent, but the coaching staff decided not to force anything - realising that the guys had to rest after a hard season. And now we are working - in general, everything is according to plan."