Following their pulsating 2-2 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday, Arsenal will now switch their focus to another tough clash against German giants Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park in midweek.
The clash is undoubtedly a difficult one for Arsenal and with quite a few injury problems plaguing the Gunners squad at the moment – the Premier League side’s task in Germany has been made even tougher.
That being said though, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will still be able to call upon the services of some top class players and the Gunners will certainly be heading into the clash against Dortmund looking for all three points.
Goalkeeper
Szczesny has been very solid this season
Despite letting in two goals against Manchester City last week, Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was brilliant throughout the game and made a couple of fantastic saves late on to earn his side a point from the game.
The added competition due to the arrival of David Ospina over the summer seems to have brought the best out of Szczesny and the young Pole will certainly be looking to continue his wonderful form against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
Defence
Arsene Wenger has been presented with a couple of headaches in defence, as key defender Mathieu Debuchy was ruled out for at least two months due to an ankle injury.
Calum Chambers looks set to deputize for Debuchy and while the young man has looked promising so far, he is still prone to the odd mistakes and it will be interesting to see how the teenager copes with the pressure of playing in the Champions League against top quality opposition.
Calum Chambers to deputize for the injured Debuchy
The experienced pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny will continue at the heart of the defence but the duo looked uncharacteristically shaky against Manchester City and will need to put in a much improved performance against Dortmund in order for Arsenal to stand a chance.
Nacho Monreal was once again unconvincing on Saturday and Kieran Gibbs, who has returned to full fitness, could take the Spaniard’s place at left back.
Midfield
For the clash on Tuesday, it is expected that there will be a major reshuffle in the Arsenal midfield, to the one which started against Manchester City.
Captain Mikel Arteta was rested last week and could well be handed a start against Dortmund in place of Mathieu Flamini on Tuesday. The Spaniard will line up alongside Jack Wilshere – who was magnificent against City.
Ozil could be dropped following his poor display against Man City
Aaron Ramsey is a doubt due to an ankle problem but is expected to be fit in time to take his place in the starting XI behind the lone striker.
However, the ineffectual Mesut Ozil is set to be dropped following his shocking display against City and Santi Cazorla is the most likely candidate to take the place of the German superstar in the lineup.
The fantastic Alexis Sanchez should start on the right wing, but will surely float around the pitch throughout the course of the ninety minutes. The likes of Theo Walcott and Serge Gnabry are expected to miss out due to injuries.
Attack
The impressive Danny Welbeck will lead the line for Arsenal
Danny Welbeck was impressive in his debut for Arsenal, where his terrific work rate and willingness to make runs provided the Gunners a fresh impetus in attack.
The England international looks a certain starter against Dortmund as well and he will surely cause the German side problems.
Yaya Sanogo and Lukas Podolski will be waiting in the wings for the Gunners as well, while Olivier Giroud is still ruled out due to a long term ankle injury.
