Olympiakos Vs Arsenal Champions League Match Preview & Team Line-Ups

by Danny J. DPurb

Kick Off : Tonight @ 7.45 pm (Tuesday 4th of December 2012) Having secured qualification to the knockout stages of the tournament, Arsenal face Olympiakos in Greece tonight in a game where neither side is subject to particularly heavy expectations. While the top spot in group B is still to be decided, the Greek team have already secured their place in the Europa league and are bound to exit the Champions League no matter what the result. However, Arsenal could still go through as the seeded side, should Schalke taste defeat at Montpellier. The Gunners are currently 2nd in Group B with a total of 12 points from their last 5 games. Team News Manager Arsène Wenger does not seem overly stressed, as the decision to rest some of the senior players suggests. Theo Walcott, Lukas Podolski, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker have all been rested for the weekend game against West Brom, and judging the Gunner€™s weekend defeat against Swansea, Arsène Wenger seems to want his squad fit and rested. Probable Line Up: Arsenal - Szczesny €“ Coquelin - Vermaelen €“ Squillaci €“ Meade €“ Ramsey €“ Rosicky €“ Akporn €“ Arshavin €“ Chamberlain - Gervinho Probable Line Up: Olympiakos - Olympiakos €“ Carroll €“ Torosidis €“ Modesto €“ Maniatis €“ Holebas - Machado, Fuster €“ Abdoun €“ Ibagaza €“ Mitroglu €“ Djebbour Arsenal v Olympiakos Previous Encounters:03/10/12 €“ Champions League €“ Arsenal 3 €“ 1 Olympiakos 06/12/11 - Champions League €“ Olympiakos 3 €“ 1 Arsenal 29/09/11 - Champions League €“ Arsenal 2 €“ 1 Olympiakos 09/12/09 - Champions League €“ Olympiakos 1 €“ 0 Arsenal 30-09/09 - Champions League €“ Arsenal 2 €“ 0 Olympiakos Prediction: 1 €“ 0 (Olympiakos to win in what might not be the most appealing of games to football fans) Having been dominated throughout time by Arsenal, Olympiakos would seem like the underdog, however, with the squad Arsène Wenger is taking to Greece, along with the current morale and form of the Gunners, it might be fair to consider Olympiakos as potential winners €“ even if only by a thin margin.

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Danny is a consultant, writer & journalist from London into what he describes as a "little bit of everything". He has been into literature, photography & the arts since his teenage years, and has also ended up fluent in French after just over a decade of exposure to the Anglo-French culture of L'Île Maurice. He has an avid interest in psychology, neuroscience, the arts, and his city, London. To find out more about his writings, artwork and other updates, please feel free to visit his website (dpurb.com) or follow him on Twitter (@DannyDPurb)