The UEFA Champions League is back this week and following their embarrassing performance against Dinamo Zagreb, the Gunners will be looking to bounce back and start winning points to qualify for the next stage of the competition. Arsenal will be fairly confident about this game after their impressive 5-2 thumping of Leicester which ended their unbeaten start to the Premier League. The Greek giants will also be buzzing with confidence following their recent 5-1 victory over PAS Giannina, which continued their unbeaten start to the Greek Super League. This game will certainly be an interesting watch.
Over the summer, the Greek side picked up a couple of players from the Premier League who look to have helped strengthen their side. These players come in the form of Brown Ideye and Esteban Cambiasso.
Ideye failed to impress during his stint with West Brom, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t pose a threat for Arsene Wenger’s side. The Nigerian boasts an impressive 45 goals in 106 appearances for former side Dinamo Kyiv and as such shows that the 26-year-old does have the goal-scoring ability to trouble the Arsenal defence and so his presence must be monitored. Ideye has experience in the UEFA Champions League, having previously scored against Feyenoord and Borussia Monchengladbach and will feel at home once again playing in Europe’s elite competition. As was seen during his time with West Brom, Ideye plays best when he is running past defenders to receive balls over the top. If the Gunners can track his runs, then they should have no real problem stopping the Nigerian in his tracks.
Esteban Cambiasso also signed for Olympiacos over the summer and has massively improved the pedigree of their squad. Arsenal saw a glimpse of the Inter Milan legend as he spent a season in the Barclays Premier League with Leicester City and proved that even at his age he is still capable of competing at the highest level. The highly decorated Argentinian is no stranger to the UEFA Champions League having won it back in 2010 and will relish the opportunity to play in Europe once again. Having played against the Gunners last season where he was voted Leicester’s Fan’s Player of the Season, Cambiasso knows how the Gunners operate and will be looking to utilise his hard tackling and immense passing ability to dominate the Arsenal midfield. However, with age not on his side, it is very likely that the 35-year-old won’t be able to run as far as other players on the pitch, therefore with players like Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla in their midfield, Arsenal should be able to simply pass around the experienced midfielder and take him out of the game.
Going forward, Arsene Wenger’s side must replicate what made them so dangerous against Leicester. They must be adventurous when attacking by playing passes that are risky but ultimately pay off. The Champions League is not a competition for the faint-hearted and so unless the Gunners are willing to play a more risky style of football, then they will never truly compete for the trophy. With Alexis Sanchez having found his shooting boots again, and Theo Walcott boasting an impressive goalscoring record of his own, there is no reason why the north London side can’t walk all over the Greeks.
The UEFA Champions League remains the only major trophy to have eluded Arsene Wenger, and with his years as a manager dwindling, the Frenchman will be hoping that this season is the one where he can finally claim the European title. First though, his side must claim their first victory this season in Europe.
