Former Arsenal forward and now Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas fears the Gunners will come up short in their UEFA Champions League mission in Greece on Wednesday night.
The former Scotland international also believes Petr Cech will be key for the slim hope they do have of pipping Olympiacos, Wednesday’s night’s opponents, to second place.
Arsene Wenger’s men know what is required to prevent dropping into the Europa League, but Nicholas doesn’t see them achieving it.
Arsenal can do it, there’s no doubt about that, but I’m not totally convinced that they will because the injury situation is a dramatic one. For too many years now they’ve needed the big performances and they get them but somehow fall short. I mean, how can you beat Bayern Munich and still be in this situation?
Despite the realistic possibility of proving Nicholas and the other doubters wrong, Arsenal must do without FSF Fans’ Player of the Year Alexis Sanchez.
The Chile international is nursing a hamstring injury picked up in the draw with Norwich City and will be a huge miss.
Nicholas, though, doesn’t predict the Gunners’ problems coming in the attacking department.
Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming back and Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud scoring goals gives me hope. I see Arsenal scoring their two goals but I have a horrible feeling that they’ll get into a good position and then concede and go out. I really hope that I’m wrong and that this is where Petr Cech, who has been brilliant, pays back his transfer fee and more.
Cech was signed for £10 million in the summer but controversially wasn’t selected for the first two games of the Champions League group stage against Dinamo Zagreb and the corresponding fixture with the Greece champions.
It would be some story if the Czech was rested at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
