It all comes down to one final game in the UEFA Champions League for Arsenal. The Gunners didn’t have the best of starts to the campaign with a couple of losses but recovered and now have the opportunity to make it out of the group stage with a two-goal victory over Olympiakos.
That might have been an easy task had the Gunners played at home but the fact that they have to travel for their final game after having played out a tough 3-1 win over Sunderland in the league might just tip the balance in the favour of the Greek side.
Arsenal sit third in the group and are three points second-placed Olympiakos, this match is a do or die game for both clubs and the Greek side know that if they avoid defeat they will make it into the knockout stage.
Arsene and Arsenal fans will know that their club don’t really have a realistic chance of winning the Champions League this season and could well be knocked out of this competition for greater glories but would that be the right thing for the Gunners?
Bye bye to the Champions League
Injuries are the biggest worry for the Gunners, they haven’t really gotten their best squad out and the fact that Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla picked up injuries could well hamper their chances of qualifying into the next round.
It isn’t just Sanchez and Cazorla who will be sorely missed, they still have the likes of Coquelin and Wilshere injured while Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain are getting back to full fitness. This game might have come at the wrong time for the Gunners as the win against Sunderland would have taken its toll on them.
Arsene might even want the team to take it easy in this game as saving the squad for the Premier League seems a better idea. The league has been topsy-turvy this season and Arsenal have a better chance of winning that than winning the European Cup, especially when the rest of the players come back from their respective injuries.
The Greek club are unbeaten in their league, in fact, they haven’t lost home or away and are on a 12 match winning streak. This certainly does not bode well for the Gunners and the fact that they already beat Arsenal will certainly give them the boost they need.
Olympiakos have always defeated Arsenal in the cup competitions at home. While Arsenal have only scored two goals in their previous three meetings in Greece, the lack of goals, the lack of players and history isn’t on the side of Arsenal.
The game might be a tense affair, but all sides point to Olympiakos making it another night when Arsenal fail to perform and, this time, get knocked out one round earlier than usual in the UEFA Champions League.