please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Arsenal travel to Greece on Tuesday to take on Olympiacos at the Karaiskákis Stadium. The Gunners have already to qualified to the last 16 alongside Schalke 04 in group B, and the only thing left to play for is the battle for first place. Arsenal trail Schalke by a point, so they need to better Schalke’s result in France against Montpellier. The Gunners go into this game on the back of a dreadful result and performance against Swansea City at the Emirates. Arsenal were once again toothless in attack and their passing was once again sloppy. The game looked like it was heading for a dull draw going into the final ten minutes, but Michu had other ideas, and the Spaniard put Swansea into the lead after he buried a one on one chance against Wojciech Szczesny. He then doubled Swansea’s lead shortly after and condemned Arsenal to yet another defeat. It was a loss that has seen Arsenal drop to tenth place in the league table and its Arsenal’s worst start under the management of Arsene Wenger. In their last eight games in all competitions, the Gunners have only won two of those, so their form has been dreadful in the past month. With only top spot left to play for, there is not much pressure on Arsenal in their game against Olympiacos, and Arsene Wenger has spoken about rotating his squad for the trip to Greece. Schalke ended Olympiacos’s dream of qualifying to the last 16 in the last round of fixtures in the champions league and the Greeks will have to settle for Europa League football. In the super league, Olympiacos are in complete control and have an eleven point gap over PAOK, who sit in second place. With nothing left to play for, it will be interesting to see how Olympiacos approach the game against Arsenal. Coming first in a champions league has its advantages, but this season with so many strong teams making the last 16, that may not be the case. It’s a game that does not have much riding on it, but with their form being so dreadful, a win here will not do the Gunners any harm. Olympiacos and Arsenal have met on five different occasions in the champions league in recent years, and every time the home side has come out on top. The game between the two sides this year was a lot closer than the 3-1 score-line suggests. The Greeks competed and looked the better team for parts of that game and a late Aaron Ramsey goal but the gloss on a rather average performance from the Gunners. Olympiacos though were left disappointed once again in the group stages after they failed to get through to the last 16. Last year they narrowly missed out and this year, once again they have to settle for third place in the group. Their defeats to Schalke proved fatal in the end, and the Greeks now face a dead rubber against Arsenal on Tuesday. Kostas Mitroglou has been the man who has got the goals for Olympiacos in the champions league and he will again provide the biggest threat to the Arsenal defence. David Fuster is another player that has created a lot of problems for Arsenal in the previous meetings between the two sides. He scored against Arsenal home and away last season and he offers a real goal threat from midfield. Arsenal lost in their previous two visits to the Karaiskákis Stadium. Like most Greek fans, the Olympiacos fans create a brilliant atmosphere and they get their stadium rocking. So, the Arsenal players will to overcome that if they are to get a result. After beating Montpellier at the Emirates, Arsenal secured their place in the last 16 of the champions league for the 13th year in a row. It’s an astounding achievement and shows just how consistent Arsenal have been in the group stages. Wenger spoke about taking a ‘first team squad’ to Greece in order to try and get first place in the group after that Montpellier game, but with their form in the league being so bad and having played three games in the past week, Wenger has changed his tune and it looks like many of his first team players will indeed now be rested. So the likes of Francis Coquelin,Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Vito Mannone are all likely to come into the team. While outcasts like Andrey Arsahvin, Sébastien Squillaci and Marouane Chamakh could also get a rare appearance. Thomas Rosicky returned to full training last week after being out with an Achilles injury for six months. The game against Olympiacos could see him get his first start of the season and Arsenal have missed Rosicky and his creative play. Rosicky was one of the key men behind Arsenal’s revival last season and they need him to do the same this season. Arsenal have lacked creative players this season and that has seen them create less and less chances than ever before under the management of Arsene Wenger. A fully fit, Thomas Rosicky can help ease some of the creative burden that has been placed on the shoulders of Santi Cazorla. The only issue left in the group stages for Arsenal is whether they will get first place or not, and in the grand scheme of things, it’s not really an important issue. But, giving their squad players so much need game time can’t be a bad thing. With the first team looking worn out, some of the players that could feature against Olympiacos, might find their way into the first team, if they can impress Arsene Wenger. Arsenal need the help of Montpellier and they have to do something they have not done before, and that is to beat Olympiacos in Greece in order to top group B. Team News: Arsene Wenger: Three Key Match-ups: please log in to view this image Kostas Mitroglou please log in to view this image David Fuster please log in to view this image François Modesto Previous Meeting: please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Group B: please log in to view this image First Round Results: Montpellier HSC 1 - 2 Arsenal Olympiacos 1 - 2 Schalke 04 Second Round Results: Arsenal 3 - 1 Olympiacos Schalke 04 2 - 2 Montpellier HSC Third Round Results: Arsenal 0 - 2 Schalke 04 Montpellier HSC 1 - 2 Olympiacos Fourth Round Results: Schalke 04 2 - 2 Arsenal Olympiacos 3 - 1 Montpellier HSC Fifth Round Results: Arsenal 2 - 1 Montpellier HSC Schalke 04 1 - 0 Olympiacos Final Round of Fixtures In Group B: Olympiacos vs Arsenal Montpellier HSC vs Schalke 04 Managers Views: Arsene Wenger on how he expects a response from his team following the defeat to Swansea City: My Team: please log in to view this image Final Score: please log in to view this image
Probably is, but I am still looking forward to it. Another chance to possibly see Gnabry and hopefully Rosicky gets some much needed game time, as we need him in the first team.
Might be a pointless game, but could turn out to be another game exposing our weakness, because we will be playing a team B side, which may simply reveal how weak our second string are, proving this squad doesn't even have a quality depth, that Wenger likes to speak so much off. In September he said that squad wise, this was his best team ever, LOL, yeah, let's see that.
I doubt most reserve teams could beat Olympiakos in Greece, so what is the point you are trying to make?
Btw, I doubt our team B can beat any other proper side, the Reading game was a miracle, but that's not going to be happening every week, any other better team than Reading, and we wouldn't have been coming back from 4-0 down. Our team B has been sh!t for many years, that's what I'm saying.
B Team is ****? Oxo, Rosicky, Gnarby, Eisfield, Jenkinson, Miquel(Spanish U21 Captain), Coq(Very good prospect), etc... are all ****? Ok
This will be a good chance to see some of those players you mention. In a way it might be a good distraction from the league and give some of the regular first teamers a rest. We can play this game with the pressure off to a degree, it could be just what we need this week.
AOC should also get a start hopefully. He is another one that needs games in order to overcome the crap form he is in at the moment. I would play him from the left in this game.
I would start Gnabry, i would give Meade a shot at LB to challenge Santos for the right to back up Gibbs. I'd give Chamakh a go, and i wouldn't have Cazorla anywhere near the team, give him a week off to recharge his batteries.
No need for Chamakh. Podolski did not play in the Everton game and got subbed off very early in both the Villa and Swnasea game. He does not need a rest, and this game gives him the chance to play through the middle.
Our possible defence for this game could be one of the worst we have ever seen under the management of Wenger. As well as the first choice defenders being rotated, the likes of Miquel,Djourou and Santos are injured. http://news.arseblog.com/2012/12/arsenal-take-young-squad-to-greece/
Scrap that. Wenger has decided to take Vermaelen and Chensey, so it's not going to be complete unknowns back in the defence. Arsenal squad: 1 Wojciech Szczesny 5 Thomas Vermaelen 7 Tomas Rosicky 15 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 16 Aaron Ramsey 18 Sebastien Squillaci 22 Francis Coquelin 23 Andrey Arshavin 25 Carl Jenkinson 27 Gervinho 29 Marouane Chamakh 38 Martin Angha 39 Zak Ansah 48 Sead Hajrovic 53 Jernade Meade 55 Elton Monteiro 60 James Shea 67 Chuba Akpom Chensey Jenkinson Squillaci Vermaelen Meade Likely defence. http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/akpom-ansah-and-monteiro-in-arsenal-squad
Not as bad as first thought, just zero depth on the bench: Chensey Jenkinson Squillaci Vermaelen Meade Coquelin Ramsey Arshavin Gervinho Chamakh Rosicky
