Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund
Football: European Champions League
Wednesday 23 November 2011 - Kick Off 7:45pm
This game is live on TV

---

Arsenal

Arsenal seem to have turned a corner in recent weeks as they continued their good form with a 1-2 win at Norwich City over the weekend. That win keeps the Gunners in touch with sides in the top 4, a key as it looks like there will be a number of contenders fighting for those places. Arsene Wenger must have been happy with the character displayed and the performance of his team on Saturday as they fought back from a deficit to win the game.

4 points from 2 games against Marseille means Arsenal leads the Group by 1 point over their rivals, while they also have a 4 point lead over Borussia Dortmund. That means the Gunners will guarantee their place in the last 16 with a win on Wednesday and could potentially be locking up top spot in the Group if Marseille fail to beat Olympiakos in the south of France.

Arsenal's strong run of form has seen them win 10 of their last 12 games in all competitions and they have only suffered 1 defeat in those games. They have won 8 of their last 9 games played at the Emirates Stadium, the sole exception being a 0-0 draw with Marseille in their last Champions League game. That draw is the only game in 9 at home that the Gunners have failed to score, hitting the net at least twice in the other 8 games.

There are still some long-term injuries in the squad that have yet to clear up, although Abou Diaby is getting closer to making a return for selection. Maraoune Chamakh is back in the squad having been a substitute at the weekend.

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund will come into this game with lots of confidence having beaten Bayern Munich 0-1 at the Allianz Arena last time out- that win meant Dortmund were able to move up to 2nd in the League table, only 2 points behind the Bavarians. While the young team continues to surprise in the Bundesliga, they have had a harsh introduction to the Champions League this season.

Dortmund have only picked up 4 points from their opening 4 games in the Group, their first win coming last time out against Olympaikos. All of their points have come in front of their passionate fans in Germany, but they have been beaten comfortably in away games at Marseille and Olympiakos, conceding 3 goals in both defeats. Those losses have put the pressure on Dortmund now as a defeat will effectively knock them out of this competition, while a draw would mean they need too many other results to go their way.

The team have gone on a 6 game unbeaten run, winning 5 of those games, since losing to Olympiakos away from home. They come into this one having won their last 3 games in all competitions, including that big win in Bayern Munich. Dortmund have lost 1 of their last 4 away games in all competitions.

Schmelzer and Mohamed Zidan are both travelling with the squad to London, while Patrick Owomoyela has been included in the match 16 in the last couple of games and will be pushing for an opportunity here.

Head to Head

This will be Borussia Dortmund's first visit to the Emirates Stadium, although they did lose 2-0 to Arsenal in 2002 in a game played at Highbury.

Prediction

Robin Van Persie has been so essential to this Arsenal team this season, even though there are other players that are impressing, because they have a big drop off when either Chamakh or Gervinho are leading the line.

I expect Arsene Wenger will want to rest his star striker, as he has been injury prone in the past, but recent seasons should have shown the manager that he cannot really afford to put his team in a position where they finish 2nd in the Group and end up with a really tough game in the last 16.

For that reason, I fully expect a strong Arsenal team to be picked in a game that means as much for the Gunners as it does for Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund are once again showing how good a team they are with their performances in the Bundesliga, but their lack of experience at this level has been telling, especially away from home where they have conceded far too many goals.

That does not bode well for a trip to the Emirates Stadium, especially with the kind of confidence the Arsenal players have and I think the odds against looks a little too good to turn down here for the home win.

It could be a tight game, but I believe Arsenal can secure their place in the last 16 and give themselves a real chance of finishing top of the Group.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Arsenal 2-1 Borussia Dortmund

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Arsenal to win @ 2.15