Ozil v Mkhitaryan: Which No.10 will steal the show?

On Tuesday night, one of the best potential match-ups of the Champions League group stage will take place as Arsenal host Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates Stadium.

With the two sides occupying the qualification spots in the group at present, it should be the first of two pivotal clashes which could determine the outcome of the group. Domestically, both clubs are in good form, with Arsenal top of the Premier League in England with six wins from eight, and Dortmund second in the German Bundesliga following seven wins from nine games.

For both clubs, the nature of their performances are to attack the opposition, to out-pass and out-think opponents in the final third and try, with fluid and high-tempo football, to create as many chances as possible. Key to both sides is the No. 10, attacking midfield role, through which much of the buildup play passes and where much positional rotation also takes place within the side.

Mesut Ozil of Arsenal and Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Dortmund, then, will be two key players on the pitch, and which does their job better, or makes the most of their time on the ball, could prove decisive in finding a winner on the night.

While not the same style of player, they do share similar traits; Ozil and Mkhitaryan are forward-thinking, attacking players who will get beyond the centre-forward when required, both are capable of scoring goals and both are regularly able to make a telling contribution in the final third. Coincidentally, both are also at new teams this season, having played last term for Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk respectively.

From the admittedly small sample size of this season’s Champions League campaign, there are further similarities between the two talented players.

Ozil’s performance in the Champions League this season

Mkhitaryan’s performance in the Champions League this season

Both Ozil and Mkhitaryan have started the two matches played thus far, with the German completing 180 minutes and Dortmund’s Armenian being subbed during both games. They’ve both managed two shots and created four chances each for their teams and even both completed two out of five attempted dribbles—but Ozil is the one who has found the end product so far, managing both a goal and an assist for Arsenal against Napoli.

Ozil’s pass accuracy in the Champions League

Mkhitaryan’s passing accuracy in the Champions League

The Germany international has also managed to complete more than double the number of passes that Mkhitaryan has managed, 110 to 42, as his more natural instinct as a playmaker shines through. Dortmund’s man is far more likely to be, along with a link player, a dangerous present in the box and supporting the other runners in the final third rather than being the constant, repetitive recycler of possession that Ozil tends to be.

Their domestic form thus far this term gives further insight.

From his seven Bundesliga games this season, Mkhitaryan has registered three goals and 16 chances created for his team-mates, or an average of 2.3 per game. Ozil has featured five times in the Premier League, with his first two league goals for the Gunners arriving in the weekend win over Norwich City. He has also been a creative force to the tune of 14 chances, or 2.8 per game on average.

Mkhitaryan is certainly the more active, as expected, in terms of registering shots on goal; his seven appearances have yielded 17 efforts already with 65% of them on target. Ozil is certainly not shy about shooting either, with seven attempts to date, but impressively, all of the German’s shots have been on target.

Ozil’s shooting accuracy in the Premier League

Again, both his propensity to get involved in build-up play and Arsenal’s own brand of patient, ball-retention-based attacking is evident in the sheer volume of passes made, with Ozil making far more successful passes despite playing fewer games.

It is also worth noting the areas that either player are particularly effective in with regards to fashioning opportunities; while Ozil has been creative from around the entire final third—four from the flanks, four close to the centre of the goal and six from central and outside of the penalty area—the huge majority of Mkhitaryan’s chances, 75% of them in fact, come from this latter area. His incisiveness and appreciation of space obviously come to the fore in these areas of the pitch, where he also drives forward from, running late into the box, to try and finish off moves himself.

With so many other quality and in-form players on both sides, there is no guarantee that keeping these players quiet will mean a positive result for the other team.

However, Ozil and Mkhitaryan have already proven their quality in the Champions League, and have shown this season in flashes for their new teams that they are already prepared to have a big impact. It would be no great surprise to see either of them have a big say in who comes out on top at the Emirates on Tuesday—and again at the Westfalenstadion two weeks later.