Dortmund Vs Arsenal

Dortmund Vs Arsenal
Westfalenstadion
Wednesday 6th November 19:45 BST



Important match

Arsenal travel to Dortmund in a CL fixture which is important in many ways. Number one obviously is to progress to the next round and after being beaten by Dortmund at the Emirates, there is a slight panic around and with all 3 teams being on 6 points, Arsenal have to step up and make sure they are not the one who gets left behind. The other reason why the Dortmund match is important is because we are yet to prove our credentials against a top European team. We failed to beat Dortmund at the Emirates despite an excellent performance but history won't remember the performance, just the result, and hence why we really need to try and get something tomorrow.

Dortmund Away

With Dortmund being nearly at full strength, and playing at home, they will be much more difficult to beat than before obviously. But Arsenal for some reason perform quite well away and it can suit us if we don't make the same mistakes as before. However the problem is that we have United away on sunday and Dortmund are a team that sucks everything out of you. Rotation will be important but i don't see it. We can be in a bad situation if we lose tomorrow and then end up losing on sunday as well. The team will know this and that is why it's interesting to see how Arsene approaches the game tomorrow.

Team News

For Dortmund, Sebastian Kehl has been out since suffering an ankle ligament injury in training on 15 September but is back in training. Łukasz Piszczek, out until at least the end of November, had hip and groin surgery during the summer. İlkay Gündoğan has been sidelined since mid-August due to compression of the spine.

For Arsenal, Wilshere is out. Gibbs is travelling and so is Gnabry. Rest is same


Potential Team for Dortmund

------------------------------Weidenfeller------------------------------------
Großkreutz--------------Hummels----------Subotic-----------------Schmelzer
-----------------------Bender-----------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Sahin-----------------------------------
Błaszczykowski------------------------Henrikh-----------------------------Reus
----------------------------Lewandowski--------------------------------------

Probable Team for Arsenal


--------------------------------Szczesny------------------------------------
Sagna----------------Mertesacker----------Koscielny-----------------Gibbs
-------------------------------------Arteta----------------------------------
------------------------Ramsey----------------------------------------------
-------Rosicky/Gnabry------------------------Ozil----------------------Cazorla
-----------------------------Giroud------------------------------------------

* I'd start either of Rosicky or Gnabry.


Match Facts (UEFA)

• Jürgen Klopp is back after completing a touchline ban; Sven Bender is a booking away from a suspension after picking up two yellow cards.
• Matchday four will be the 100th European Cup game for Dortmund – they have won 49 to date.
• Dortmund have won eight out of eight at home this season, including the German Super Cup.
• BVB's haul of 28 points from 11 games equals their best ever start to a Bundesliga campaign set in 2010/11.

• This is Arsenal's 16th successive UEFA Champions League campaign
• Aaron Ramsey has scored ten goals for Arsenal this season (and two for Wales); he managed five in 91 club appearances in the previous two campaigns.
• Arsenal are 14 games unbeaten away from home, winning 12 since a 2-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur FC on 3 March.
• The Gunners have collected more points (65) and wins (20) in the Premier League in 2013 than any other side.


Final Say

C'mon Arsenal!

Funny how you managed to spell Blaszczykowski but didn't bother with Mikhitaryan.

My biggest worry for this game is the condition of the team. Saturday required a huge effort and we'll probably be going in with the same side, so they aren't going to be 100%. Dortmund possess great stamina and have had an extra day's rest. This will be an important factor in the final thirty minutes of the game.

If we want to win the game, I think we would need at least two goals before then. Otherwise, a point would be an excellent result and there's no need to be chasing the game and trying to win in the last twenty minutes like we did at the Emirates. The group isn't going to be decided by this game.

Ensuring that we don't make stupid mistakes is very important, too. We know Dortmund will crowd the centre of the pitch and press aggressively, so we need to keep as much width as we can.

I'm not overly confident but we do tend to perform well away from home. I'd be delighted with a point.

Lol had to google Blasczcykowski and after that i gave up

Agreed that a point won't be bad at all. Napoli away is far more winnable than Dortmund.

Can we do a Bayern away performance? I hope so because we're going to need it, keep it tight at the back and counter... won't mind a draw at all.

There's not much to discuss about our squad for tomorrow, Rosicky ahead of Gnabry (save the youngster for United), so the same team as against Liverpool.

We need the points more than Dortmund at this point, so let's do this... C'MON ARSENAL!

Good work RG

Have a positive feeling about it
if we dont make gaffes defensively we got a chance
would defo take a draw

Come On Arsenal
show the world how good we can be on our day

more positive stats to add
-The Gunners have scored in each of their last eight Champions League games in Germany.

-Dortmund have kept only one clean sheet in their last seven Champions
League games.

also liked Arsenes response on if we may sign more Germans

the more i think about this game, more tense i get.. cant believe we are again down to a situaion that we can hardly pick 11 players despite having such a big squad..

it may be wise to think that we have to concentrate on the league which we have a better chance of winning than the CL.. but at the same time it would be a disaster if we dont qualify for the knockout stages, which we always have done with poorer teams over the last 14 years.. and it is a loss financially too.. so we should win this game.. an equally important result will be a loss for Napoli, which i cant see happening at their home..
Napoli and BVB have a definite advantage that they have 2 home games and we have the toughest 2 away games.. if we lose and Napoli win, then it will very difficult to qualify..

we could salvage something if we play with the same spirit and intensity like last game with the same team.. but it is tough on the squad that they are having to do this every 3 days which is not possible..

even backup options like Poldi Ox, Gnabry, etc are also injured.. so the only option is play the same squad and try to score the first goal early.. and hope that we can play defend and counter game..

btw, Gibbs trained yesterday.. so he may start.. but i didnt see Gnabry in training.. is he fit and ready to play ?

Gnabr declared himself fit, he said he was hoping to be incl. in the squad few days ago.

we are here...      

http://www.bvb.de/?k%E5%84%ECZ%1B%E7%F4%9C%5Cb%EE%85%98

Klopp says Hummels will be out "97.5%". Sokratis will replace him.

This is truly a group of death, for me. All four teams are at same (more or less) like-level.

Don't expect this group to be decided before the final round and expect some party-crashing from OM.

Great work RG. I know exactly how it feels, trying to write the names of some of their players without googling  

Obviously, this a very, very difficult game. Dortmund have won 17 of their 20 home games in all competitions in 2013. We saw what they did to Real Madrid in last season's Champions League in Germany.

I'm not confident, and this is our hardest game of the season so far, by quite some distance, but we are in a good moment after that Liverpool game. I would have preferred us to be going there with Flamini & Walcott fit to start, but Ramsey & Rosicky (who will be playing in their positions, are of course playing exceptionally right now).

I think Hummels is out, Klopp confirmed, some Dortmund fans have said they're happy with this news - I think Hummels is seen as slightly overrated by a lot of the rest of Europe - but Sokratis is a capable defender. They paid £8m-odd for him in summer.

There is no chance of rotation, because there is no one to rotate with in the midfield and attack due to injuries! I'd take a point now, and then focus on winning the last two. Marseille at home has to be a win, and our record against Italian teams under Wenger is very good. I'd maybe back us to do the job in Napoli, however hard it might be.

Great Job RG.

It can't get no bigger than this, this is what football is about going against the best of the best. I believe in our team to walk away with their heads up high. Cant see us losing twice to them, 2-1 or 2-2.

I wish we had either Theo or Flamini for this game could have made things easy for us.

Hummels is out? congrats on the win guys.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Hummels is out? congrats on the win guys.

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/borussia-dortmund/champions-league/news/hummels-out-of-arsenal-clash_116066.html

"We tried everything but it has not improved yet," Dortmund's official website quotes coach Jurgen Klopp as saying. "It´s a 97.5% probability that he will not be able to play."

Thanks Mole.

Lmao

I'm serious, he's a ridiculously underrated defender who gets unfair flak for rare mistakes when his partner Subotic makes ten times more mistakes but no one ever mentions it.

Not to mention they always struggle without him.... watch Bayern in the cup last year and the majority of the Malaga tie for reference.

They will struggle to beat you without him.

Stay back, soak up the pressure and hit on counter, basically play Dortmund own game, or simillar to our away game against them 2 yeara ago. There is no other tactic imo, cant gung ho with them as we saw from 1st gamw. Their form is hot and currently scoring for fun,

Arteta and Ransey 2 key players who need to be on point with defending.

I would be happy with the draw but u never know this kind of game.

I think a draw is good but we must try to win it, A early goal would be nice.
Hope Gibbs is playing we need his defense offense, our fullbacks must stay focus and dont let the last game get to them.

Extremely tough game and I'd gladly take a point right now.

I'm more worried about the condition of the players for Sunday's game tbh. This is a massive game no doubt, but OM and Napoli away are more winnable games and this is one where I hope we don't overpush ourselves for a win if a draw is attainable. Right now I think its really important we maintain a strong advantage at the top of the table and have a not so-fatigued lineup at Old Trafford.

If we can nick a early lead, I'd love to see us defend the game out and let Dortmund come at us. We've definitely got the personnel to turn to that strategy, could take some key players off early and to me Dortmund are far less threatening when they're forced to play a more possession game.

I am hoping Marseille can at least draw Napoli which would make everything easy.

away fans

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Hummels is out? congrats on the win guys.

Me

Hummels ability to play the ball from the back and build attacks is often ignored and whenever they miss him, they not only miss his defensive solidarity with Subotic but the incisive passing he does when MF is under pressure.