Following Arsenal’s Champions League campaign is a bit like watching the latest installment in one of those never-ending film series.
We know all the characters involved, including the ubiquitous baddies. We are familiar with how the plot builds up. And we are all-too-aware of how the predictable climax will unfold, only in this franchise there has yet to be a happy ending.
But could ‘Arsenal In Europe: Part 19’ somehow turn out to be different from the rest?
It was Part 8, in 2005-06, that proved the most tantalising as our intrepid hero Arsene Wenger got within 14 minutes of the Holy Grail, the Champions League trophy, until the monster known as Barcelona reared its head.
The same nemesis has thwarted the persistent Frenchman three times since, including last season, while on another trio of occasions it has been another familiar demon, Bayern Munich that has snuffed out the Gunners’ chances of getting their hands on the prize they covet most.
The trap into which the courageous Arsene usually falls on the course of his adventure is the round of 16, suffering that particular pitfall on each of the last six occasions.
If he can swerve that hazard this time, could he finally go all the way?
Bringing things back to reality, the early signs in this 2016-17 campaign are quite positive. Arsenal have done a highly professional job so far in their group, earning a 1-1 draw away to their biggest rivals for top spot, Paris Saint-Germain, and then winning with varying degrees of comfort at home to Basel and Ludogorets Razgrad.
The critical game is likely to be the meeting with PSG at the Emirates Stadium, although the difference between the duo is that the French champions have already successfully got their awkward trip to Bulgaria out of the way.
Then, yet again, it will all come down to the draw for that pesky first knockout round. Finishing first in the group would obviously be an advantage but, knowing Arsenal’s luck, even if they did, their fans will expect them to be paired with whoever finishes second out of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid! And even if they avoid that, there’s either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund.
Of course, as any football manager will say, concerning yourself with the opposition is only part of the battle. You have to keep your own house in order too, and Wenger may well feel he has a squad – the weapons, if you like – to give him the best shot for a long time in his elusive Champions League quest.
Sky Bet have Arsenal at 5/6 to win their group, which is a likely outcome, and 25/1 to win the entire competition. Perhaps at 25/1 it’s worth placing a few pounds down as Arsenal are looking in good shape so far. Even better, use one of the Sky Bet promo codes available to get a £20 free bet when placing a bet of £5 and if Arsenal win the competition, you could be walking away with £625 from just a £5 bet!
While the signing of Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna in the summer was pretty underwhelming for Arsenal supporters craving a big-name striker, the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil have been scoring plenty of goals with Olivier Giroud consigned largely to the substitutes’ bench.
Central defender Shkodran Mustafi has been a more successful arrival than Perez so far, while Hector Bellerin continues to develop into one of the world’s best right-backs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is showing signs of finally delivering on his abundant and long-held potential.
At the moment, this latest episode of the ongoing saga is barely through the scene-setting stage. Will it have the inevitable conclusion or is a glorious twist in store?
Perhaps ‘Arsenal In Europe: Part 19’ will be a tearjerker for all the right reasons.
