Arsenal play their return leg against Anderlecht at home, after suffering a scare while playing away from home, going down 1-0 until the last few minutes of the game, when they came back to win 1-2. They will not be taking Anderlecht for granted this time around, and Wenger will look to continue Arsenal’s good run by getting them into the next round of the Champions League.
Arsenal have flattered to deceive in previous rounds of the Champions League, and they will want to change that now, with the new rules kicking in next year that will demote Arsenal into pot B or C for the Champions League group draw next season, if they do not win or fare well domestically or in Europe by the end of this season. Arsenal may have the record of qualifying for the Champions League 17 times in a row, but they will need to deliver to create fear among their opposition to be considered a threat after the early promise they have shown.
Alexis Sanchez has made his name the first to be on the team sheet after a run of impressive performances. A forward line of Sanchez alongside Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck is already tantalizing Arsenal fans, who have been shorn of three pacy, strong players among the forwards for quite some time now. Jack Wilshere and/or Mathieu Flamini will have to keep Anderlecht from attacking. In the earlier game, Arsenal retreated into a shell when they were being attacked, and passed the ball aimlessly while in possession. The quality of the sides was emphasized when Arsenal took 5 minutes to destroy all that Anderlecht had done until then, but they will look to attack from the kickoff this time around, and finish the game off instead of leaving it late.
Lukas Podolski will be looking for more chances after his match-winning performance as an impact substitute in his last European game. The defence will be looking to snap the opposition up, as they were going through a crisis of confidence the last time around, but football is a funny game and Arsenal have recovered over the last two weeks splendidly. Arsenal are the clear favorites to win this game, and the lack of complacency that they are sure to show, after last time’s shoddy performance should see them through.
Predicted line-up – Arsenal (4-1-4-1): Wojciech Szczesny – Calum Chambers, Per Mertesacker, Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal – Mathieu Flamini – Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Danny Welbeck.
