Champions League: Arsenal take on Schalke 04 in their most crucial fixture

The German fans have invaded the soul of England, and are already painting the city blue. Today’s fixture against Schalke is the most crucial fixture for Arsenal in the group stages. A win would see them progress to the Round of 16 with relative ease, as the Gunners now sit comfortably atop Group B with 6 points.

The win against Olympiakos was rather unconvincing in a number of aspects, and last Saturday’s defeat to Norwich means the club have a point to prove, if they have to get their season on track. Schalke come into the game brimming with confidence after defeating Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund in the Revierderby.

Injury news

Arsenal: Laurent Koscielny returns from injury and could be paired beside Thomas Vermaelen, ahead of Per Mertesacker. Bacary Sagna and Emmanuel Frimpong have featured for the U-21s but are unlikely to start the game. Jack Wilshere, though, might feature on the bench. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott have been ruled out too. Francis Coquelin might be given a start ahead of Aaron Ramsey, owing to the Welshman’s poor performances of late.

Schalke 04: Schalke have flown to England with a number of injury concerns of their own. Attacking midfielder, Julian Draxler, is unavailable after breaking his wrist in the 2-2 draw against Montpelier. Greek centre back, Kryriakos Papadopoulos, has returned to training but may not be considered as match fit, and hence remains a doubt.

For Arsenal, the question that remains unanswered is that of who should start up front. The likes of Cazorla and Podolski have been impressive in creating chances, but Olivier Giroud has failed to capitalize on them, with just 2 goals in more than ten games. Gervinho on the other hand has been inconsistent along the wing, but has scored five goals after starting as a centre forward. It makes sense to have Gervinho lead the attack, primarily because of his ability to hoodwink defenders with skills and near-perfect ball retention.

Laurent Koscielny, may or may not start, but is likely to feature in the game at some point of time.

Aaron Ramsey has been consistently off-form since returning from injury a year ago, and could be benched to make way for Serge Gnabry. Starting Gnabry makes sense, because of his brilliant form for the Reserves and thrusting young talent onto Europe’s most massive stage can bring out the best in them at times.

Another possibility could be the introduction of Francis Coquelin in the defensive midfield role, while allowing Arteta to manipulate the attack in tandem with Santi Cazorla. It could also ease the pressure off the wingers, allowing the team to attack through the centre and allowing Podolski or Gervinho (or whoever it is on the wing) to move inwards and contribute in attack.

Schalke had been phenomenal in Europe, the season before last, when the pairing of Raul and Huntelaar led the Gelsenkirchen side into the semi finals of the Champions League. Even after the departure of the formidable Spaniard, the side have brought in a number of impressive offensive options, with the most notable one being the loan signing of Dutchman Ibrahim Afellay. Afellay and Farfan could easily trouble the full-backs- Andre Santos, in particular.

The Brazilian has impressed offensively, but has often been poor moving backwards. Carl Jenkinson will have his task cut out keeping Afellay in check, while Koscielny will be expected to mark Holtby and Afellay as well. The former Barcelona player was often seen drifting inwards, supporting Huntelaar in attack, during the game against Dortmund. Vermaelen often runs up front to join in attack, and it will up to Koscielny to hold the defensive fortress in such a situation.

Marco Hoger and Roman Neustadter will want to keep the ambidextrous Santi Cazorla in check, if they are to cut off the primary artery that feeds Arsenal’s front line. Klaas Jan Huntelaar has been phenomenal for Schalke, scoring 44 goals in 47 appearances last season, and is widely regarded as one of the best finishers in Europe at the moment. The Dutchman is most likely to be marked by Thomas Vermaelen for a majority of the game.

A draw is most likely, but it could go either way with a goal or two. I’d personally predict, a 2-1 win for Arsenal.