The final group game of the UEFA Champions League is here and Arsenal’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stage of the competition hang by a thread. They need to be able to score at least twice or win by a scoreline of 3-2 or more against the Greek champions, who really only need to defend this game to keep their head-to-head record better than the Gunners and move onto the next round of the competition. As such, Arsene Wenger’s men need to go all out attack, despite playing away from home.
Obviously, when you look at the Greek side’s team at the moment, the name that sticks out is former Leicester player of the season Esteban Cambiasso. The Argentinian may well be at the end of his career, but he is still undoubtedly a very important player for the Greeks, and having shaken off his recent injury, it looks incredibly likely that he will start in Greece this week. Therefore, the Gunners need to learn their lessons from the Emirates earlier this season when the two sides clashed if they are going to deal with the experienced Argentinian. Last time, Cambiasso was afforded far too much time on the ball, meaning that he could dictate large passages of play and lead the Olympiacos attack straight at the heart of the Arsenal team. As a result, this time, the north London club needs to close him down quickly. At his age, he relies solely on his technique because his body won’t be as strong and flexible as it once was, meaning that if he his hounded quickly by the Arsenal midfield, he is likely to turn over the ball and be eliminated from the game.
However, the main thing that the Gunners need to worry about is scoring, as opposed to singling out individual players. The Greeks, despite playing at home, may well choose to adopt a defensive tactic in order to soak up the Arsenal onslaught and then break on the counter. Therefore, the Gunners will need to be at their creative and clinical best. They can’t afford to miss easy chances when they present themselves with them.
Having scored at the weekend, Joel Campbell may well be looking forward to playing against his former side and the Arsenal faithful will be hoping that he can replicate last weekend’s performance by grabbing a goal or two.
Another player who will need to step up this week is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He has bags of potential, but injuries have hampered his development. With both Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott potentially missing from the starting line-up, now is the time for the young Englishman to make his mark and stake his claim for the starting team. There is no better time for him to prove himself than a must-win game for Arsenal. If he can create the spark, that we have seen him produce so often, then he may very well inspire the Gunners and drag them to a vital result to see them progress from the group.
Anything less than a 2-0 win will be a disaster for the Gunners, who were expected to shine in the group and ease through. However, a mixture of luck and grit has enabled them to bring back their hopes of progressing from the brink of failure and now, their future in Europe’s elite competition hangs in the balance. The players owe it to the fans and Wenger for putting their faith in them to put in a spectacular performance and earn their place in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League.
