First of all I want to make it clear that I do not expect Arsenal to overtake the current group leaders Borussia Dortmund and win our Champions League group. I know that we are only three points behind the Germans and still have to host them at the Emirates, but they are playing much better than Arsenal, in Europe at least.
In the Bundesliga, they are having a shocking start to the season, with just two wins and five defeats so far. So we can hope that some of their domestic troubles start to spill over onto the UCL stage. To be honest we will need them to, because at the minute it looks like the Gunners are going to have to beat them by three goals in London to win the group.
Their other two games are at home and it is hard to see them dropping points against Galatasaray or Anderlecht, but you never know. One bonus for us is that they are away to Bayern Munich on the Saturday evening before facing the Belgians on the Tuesday. Fatigue of low confidence could come into play, while Anderlecht are due some luck after losing to us.
Being realistic, however, Arsenal will need to play out of our skins and catch Dortmund on the hop at the Emirates and that means a fast start. So the next few games are crucial for Arsenal and they do offer us a great chance to get on a roll, with Sunderland, Burnley, Anderlecht, Swansea and then a home game against Man United before facing Jurgen Klopp’s side. If we go into that game in good form and high spirits, Arsenal can still win the group. If not, forget it Gooners. How do you rate our chances?