Poll: Will Arsenal be making any trips to the continent after Xmas?
Published:
Arsenal’s game against Dinamo Zagreb this evening sees themselves in a must-win situation if they are to progress to the knock-out stages of the Champions League for the 13th straight year.
The Gunners are 2/9 to triumph at the Emirates, while it is 12/1 that the Croatians pull off a shock and complete a double over the north London side, with the draw available to back at 11/2.
Injury worries won’t help their cause with Francis Coquelin ruled out for two months, while the speedy wing pair of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are unlikely to be fit for Tuesday’s clash.
Even if Arsene Wenger’s men did pull off a victory in front of their own fans, progression is far from guaranteed.
Three points at Zagreb’s expense would mean Arsenal require Bayern Munich to beat Olympiakos before then going on to defeat the Greek side themselves in a fortnight’s time to progress.
Ladbrokes make it an 11/4 chance that the Londoners make it through to the knock-out stages and face the prospect of a tricky last 16 tie.
A draw at Ashburton Grove would also see them needing to better Zagreb’s result in the final group game to even make the Europa League.
It could though, all end in tears tonight. Defeat would mean they were planted to the bottom of the group with no way of climbing off it.
A loss to Zoran Mamic’s men would see Arsenal three points worse off with a head-to-head record that reads played two, lost two.
No more European football could certainly help their Premier League title push, but it certainly wouldn’t have been the plan, or the expectation before a ball had been kicked.
It will be a massive 90 minutes in the capital this evening and we want you to tell us how things will play out.
Will the Gunners still be in the competition after Christmas or will it be the Europa League for Wenger’s men? Could it be that they are focused purely on domestic matters in the first half of 2016?
Vote now in today’s poll.
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All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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