The UEFA Champions League group stage draw was made today at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, and Arsenal began their campaign by being drawn in Group F along with German champions Bayern Munich, Greek champions Olympiacos and Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb.
Arsenal have had a fair few forgettable years in the Champions League, a period where the Gunners haven’t been good enough to match up with Europe’s elite, having been knocked out in the round of 16 the last five seasons in a row by Spanish, German, French and Italian opposition. However, there’s plenty of optimism at the Emirates this season, and despite an indifferent start to their Premier League season, Arsenal could enjoy a much more successful European campaign than they have recently.
The structure for the Group Stage draw has changed, with pot one now consisting of the current Champions League holders, and the champions of Europe’s top seven domestic leagues, meaning Arsenal have dropped to pot two. Of course, this allows for greater competition, but will undoubtedly produce much tougher groups. The Gunners could have drawn Barcelona, Roma and Wolfsburg in the worst case scenario, although will be relatively comfortable with the way the Group F has worked out.
Manager Arsene Wenger will line up against an old foe in Pep Guardiola, as Arsenal joined Bayern Munich in group F. The Bundesliga champions have been familiar opposition in recent seasons, knocking the Gunners out in 2012/13 and 2013/14. However, Arsenal can take confidence in the fact they are unbeaten in their previous two visits to the Allianz Arena.
Olympiacos were the team from pot three to join Group F, meaning Arsenal will make a trip to the hostile Karaiskakis Stadium. This is the fourth time in seven seasons Arsenal and Olympiacos have been drawn together in the group stages, and the Greek champions shouldn’t be taken lightly. The two clubs have split the previous six matches with three wins each, Arsenal winning all three at home, however losing all three away. It’s worth noting that all three away games came after the side from north London had already qualified.
Dinamo Zagreb were the final team to join Group F. The Croatians came through three qualifying rounds to make it this far, and despite coming from pot four, have won the Croatian First Football League the past ten seasons in a row. This will be the first time the two clubs have met since 2006, where Arsenal ran out 5-1 aggregate winners in the Champions League qualifying round.
Whether it be first or second, Arsenal will be expected to qualify from Group F, and will hope for a positive campaign ahead of the final at the San Siro in Milan next May.
