Arsenal make the trip to Greece knowing that their Champions League run hangs in the balance of one game against second placed Olympiacos.
The Gunners have to win by two goals on Wednesday night or manage to match the 3-2 score-line or better they suffered at the Emirates last month to progress into the knockout stages. To make it easier to understand, we need to win with any scoreline except for 2-1 and 1-0.
And if things weren’t difficult enough as it is for Arsene Wenger’s side, the recent injury news wasn’t welcomed after Santi Cazorla, Alexis and Francis Coquelin were all sidelined.
Travelling to Greece against one of the most intimidating set of fans won’t be easy at all, but following the weekends action the momentum is looking good.
A new setup that featured Aaron Ramsey in a central role saw the Gunners pick up a 3-1 victory over Sunderland, with Theo Walcott also returning to the side.
The Englishman will look to play a vital role no matter when he comes on, and it’s a massive boost to see him providing another striking option in the final third.
Team News
Arsenal
Following the Premier League win at the weekend, the boss announced that his side suffered no fresh injury problems.
As mentioned above, the Gunners will be without midfield duo Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin who look set to be out for at least three months.
Despite the determination of Alexis, he sadly isn’t ready to take on this one and is instead looking ahead to Manchester City later this month.
There is still some uncertainty on when Mikel Arteta will return to action, but Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey will definitely be in the squad for Olympiacos.
Long-term absentees Danny Welbeck, Thomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere will also be unavailable, but Wilshere is rumoured to be back in contention on Boxing Day.
Olympiacos
In terms of injury news from the Greek champions they couldn’t ask for a better setup, as Marco Silva has nobody on the sidelines.
There were concerns over the availability of former Leicester man, Esteban Cambiasso, but he’s now recovered from a knock and will predictably be in the starting lineup.
One To Watch
Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey
The Welshman flourished in his new central role on Saturday afternoon after managing to bag a goal and an assist, with his heat maps looking incredibly improved compared to when he plays on the right hand side. He now needs to show us how comfortable he is playing in the boots of Santi Cazorla, and can be the catalyst in Arsenal’s push for a counter attack. Despite reports suggesting the 24-year-old sat out of training this week, Arsene Wenger has confirmed he’s in the squad and should be raring to go.
Olympiacos: Roberto Jiminez Gago
This is the man we’ve got to get past if we stand any hope of joining Europe’s giants in the knockout stages, and the 29-year-old is in great form. He’s conceded just eight goals from 12 games in the Greek Super League which have ultimately helped his side to top the table at the moment. At 6ft3in he’ll cause significant problems for Olivier Giroud in the air, but often struggles in getting down to the corners of his goalmouth. Arsenal will be attacking from all fronts so if we can have shots coming in all of the time it’ll keep him very busy.
Match Summary
Arsenal
The fans know it, the manager knows it and now the players know exactly what they have to do in Greece to keep away from that dreaded decline into Thursday night football. In press conferences throughout the week every player has mentioned that this is being treated like a cup final. They will have to attack hard, but ensure they don’t get carried away with scoring goals. If Mertesacker starts then we can’t have too many players drifting forward due to the threat of an Olympiacos counter, something that Mathieu Flamini has failed to manage.
Olympiacos
They’ll be treating this game exactly the same as the Gunners and will have a stadium full of fans going absolutely crazy, this is a massive chance for them and the club. Expect them to line up quite freely, allowing them to gain confidence on the ball and control the game themselves. If they sit back and allow Arsenal to hunt them down it’ll spark an onslaught, and there’s not much chance of them performing another result like they did at the Emirates. Olympiacos were dreadful at Bayern Munich and will be quite content to take a point at home, which makes things even more difficult for the away side.
Predicted Starting XI’sÂ
Arsenal (4-2-3-1) – Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker (c), Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey, Walcott, Ozil, Campbell, Giroud
Olympiacos 4-3-3 – Gago, Elabdellaoui, Botia, Siovas, Salino, Cambiasso, Kasami, Fortounis, Pardo, Sebe, Ideye
Prediction
Olympiacos 2 – 3 ArsenalÂ
This will be an incredibly open game and the atmosphere will make it difficult for the Gunners to settle into their rhythm of possession play.
However, the players all know exactly they have to do and I can’t see them coming away with anything other than a place in the next round.
People often mention the score in the reverse fixture, but this Arsenal side are better in all aspects of the pitch and can’t let nerves get to them on the night.
It will be incredibly difficult but with Theo Walcott back I see him grabbing a goal and changing the way we attack when he comes on, most likely in the 60th minute.
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