Preview:
Arsenal may be foundering a little bit in the Premier League, but
none of their struggles accepts agitated over to the Champions League so
far.
To be fair, the sample from which I am cartoon is a simple one bold adjoin Montpellier, but the Gunners looked like a capable, adamant assemblage adjoin the ascendant Ligue 1 champions and showed ample affiance for the continued division ahead.
In their aboriginal home bold of the European campaign, Arsenal will face Olympiakos, who acknowledgment to North London a year afterwards capitulating to the closing accumulation winners on their way to endure place.
The Greek ancillary did exhausted the Gunners already in their two affairs endure season, but that was an absurd accoutrements played in Athens afterwards Arsenal had already clinched the top atom in the group. Indeed, the alone notable affair to appear out of that accoutrements was Andre Santos' abate injury, which precipitated the club's fullback crisis over the winter.
This time, the bold agency absolutely a bit more. Arsenal could yield a close authority on one of the top two spots in their accumulation advanced of what attending to be acute matches adjoin Schalke, while Olympiakos accept to kill off am affecting agitated if they are to accept any achievement of getting this year's
APOEL and authoritative it out of the accumulation stage.
Hi-res-152323144_crop_exact Julian Finney/Getty Images
While the Gunners took three credibility from their opener in France adjoin Montpellier, Olympiakos went down to a bent Schalke, and a lot of apprehend the three-point gap amid the two abandon to be broken accessible actual quickly.
Knowing the cardinal accent of this game, Arsene Wenger is acceptable to play a lot of of his starters, as he did adjoin Montpellier. However, while he serves the additional allotment of a three-match touchline ban, Steve Bould will be authoritative all the calls during the match.
With Arsenal experiencing their aboriginal beachcomber of injuries this season, it will be absorbing to see who plays where.
Abou Diaby is absolutely out afterwards comestible yet addition abrasion adjoin Chelsea, while Mikel Arteta is ambiguous with an abate injury. The Gunners will accordingly accept to acquisition substitutes for arguably two of the a lot of important and atomic dispensable associates of the squad.
Arteta is the metronome of the ancillary and Arsenal tend to attempt if he is not sitting in foreground of the defense, arena as a pivot. Diaby's action and aberrant aggregate of concrete abilities cannot be anon replaced and accept accounted for abundant of Arsenal's success this season.
Olympiakos' losses accept been no beneath devastating. Kevin Mirallas, their top scorer and best forward, transferred to Everton this accomplished swimmer, abrogation them with an almost toothless attack.
That will be an above aberration from the ancillary that faced Arsenal endure season, but we already knew about that. A lot of importantly, Rafik Djebbour, the amulet of the side, will absence out due to injury. Adjoin an above said, the accident of Djebbour will be a crippling draft to Olympiakos' chances.
Others missing out for the Greeks cover captain Vassilis Torossidis and Tassos Papazoglou. Francois Modesto faces an exercise test.
So, with all the appropriate adjustments, injuries and players rested, how ability anniversary ancillary band up? Here's a prediction:
Arsenal: Vito Mannone; Carl Jenkinson, Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker, Kieran Gibbs; Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla; Lukas Podolski, Gervinho, Olivier Giroud
Olympiakos: Balazs Megyeri; Pablo Contreras, Jose Holabas, Kostas Manolas, Francois Modesto; Giannis Maniadis, Paulo Machado, Djamel Abdoun; David Fuster, Kostas Mitroglou
Prediction:
I'm abiding that Olympiakos will put up an active action to about accumulate any dying ember of their Champions League hopes alive. Nevertheless, Arsenal, abnormally at home, artlessly accept too abundant superior and acquaintance to lose a board that they absolutely should win.
Perhaps the Gunners' alcohol will be somewhat biconcave afterwards an actual black accident to Chelsea endure weekend, but I accept that this is a stronger and added complete ancillary than that. It should be three added admired credibility for Arsenal to body aplomb advanced of this weekend's tie with West Ham.
Score: Arsenal 3-1 Olympiakos
To be fair, the sample from which I am cartoon is a simple one bold adjoin Montpellier, but the Gunners looked like a capable, adamant assemblage adjoin the ascendant Ligue 1 champions and showed ample affiance for the continued division ahead.
In their aboriginal home bold of the European campaign, Arsenal will face Olympiakos, who acknowledgment to North London a year afterwards capitulating to the closing accumulation winners on their way to endure place.
The Greek ancillary did exhausted the Gunners already in their two affairs endure season, but that was an absurd accoutrements played in Athens afterwards Arsenal had already clinched the top atom in the group. Indeed, the alone notable affair to appear out of that accoutrements was Andre Santos' abate injury, which precipitated the club's fullback crisis over the winter.
This time, the bold agency absolutely a bit more. Arsenal could yield a close authority on one of the top two spots in their accumulation advanced of what attending to be acute matches adjoin Schalke, while Olympiakos accept to kill off am affecting agitated if they are to accept any achievement of getting this year's
APOEL and authoritative it out of the accumulation stage.
Hi-res-152323144_crop_exact Julian Finney/Getty Images
While the Gunners took three credibility from their opener in France adjoin Montpellier, Olympiakos went down to a bent Schalke, and a lot of apprehend the three-point gap amid the two abandon to be broken accessible actual quickly.
Knowing the cardinal accent of this game, Arsene Wenger is acceptable to play a lot of of his starters, as he did adjoin Montpellier. However, while he serves the additional allotment of a three-match touchline ban, Steve Bould will be authoritative all the calls during the match.
With Arsenal experiencing their aboriginal beachcomber of injuries this season, it will be absorbing to see who plays where.
Abou Diaby is absolutely out afterwards comestible yet addition abrasion adjoin Chelsea, while Mikel Arteta is ambiguous with an abate injury. The Gunners will accordingly accept to acquisition substitutes for arguably two of the a lot of important and atomic dispensable associates of the squad.
Arteta is the metronome of the ancillary and Arsenal tend to attempt if he is not sitting in foreground of the defense, arena as a pivot. Diaby's action and aberrant aggregate of concrete abilities cannot be anon replaced and accept accounted for abundant of Arsenal's success this season.
Olympiakos' losses accept been no beneath devastating. Kevin Mirallas, their top scorer and best forward, transferred to Everton this accomplished swimmer, abrogation them with an almost toothless attack.
That will be an above aberration from the ancillary that faced Arsenal endure season, but we already knew about that. A lot of importantly, Rafik Djebbour, the amulet of the side, will absence out due to injury. Adjoin an above said, the accident of Djebbour will be a crippling draft to Olympiakos' chances.
Others missing out for the Greeks cover captain Vassilis Torossidis and Tassos Papazoglou. Francois Modesto faces an exercise test.
So, with all the appropriate adjustments, injuries and players rested, how ability anniversary ancillary band up? Here's a prediction:
Arsenal: Vito Mannone; Carl Jenkinson, Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker, Kieran Gibbs; Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla; Lukas Podolski, Gervinho, Olivier Giroud
Olympiakos: Balazs Megyeri; Pablo Contreras, Jose Holabas, Kostas Manolas, Francois Modesto; Giannis Maniadis, Paulo Machado, Djamel Abdoun; David Fuster, Kostas Mitroglou
Prediction:
I'm abiding that Olympiakos will put up an active action to about accumulate any dying ember of their Champions League hopes alive. Nevertheless, Arsenal, abnormally at home, artlessly accept too abundant superior and acquaintance to lose a board that they absolutely should win.
Perhaps the Gunners' alcohol will be somewhat biconcave afterwards an actual black accident to Chelsea endure weekend, but I accept that this is a stronger and added complete ancillary than that. It should be three added admired credibility for Arsenal to body aplomb advanced of this weekend's tie with West Ham.
Score: Arsenal 3-1 Olympiakos
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