Arsenal News Champions League News

Official Arsenal team and preview for Olympiacos

Arsene Wenger has spoken about Arsenal needing to be on our toes and having our backs to the wall after losing the first Champions League group game. He has also warned his players not to assume that they will have the better of the Greek side, even though Olympiacos lost 3-0 at home to Bayern Muncih in their first game.

As he pointed out, two of their goals came late and the scoreline flattered the Germans, while we sinply have to up our game in every part of the pitch. Do that though, and Arsenal should be back on track. But if the Gunners fall short again there will also be questions asked of the manager, as he has chosen to leave the vast UCL experience of Petr Cech on the bench.

And there are four more changes to the team that won in Leucester; with Gibbs and Gabriel coming in to the back line, Coquelin coming back into the holding midfield position after recovering from his minor injury and the Ox replacing Ramsey on the right.

Ospina
Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Gibbs
Cazorla, Coquelin
Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Sanchez
Walcott

Subs: Cech, Mertesacker, Debuchy, Ramsey, Monreal, Chambers, Campbell

To be fair, that starting XI should be more than capable of beating the Greek champions and I am confident that we will see a much better performance from the Gunners tonight.

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Tags Gabriel Gibbs ospina ox

126 Comments

  3. I am very interested in seeing the front five of Ozil pulling the strings along with Cazorla feeding Alexis,Walcott, Ox. Absolute pace in there also with Bellerin at RB, Kos/Gab at CB.

    Iv wanted to see how this first 11 would do, near enough our best team out there tonight?

    1. I really hope OX will show tonight his defensive contribution which he hasn’t showed all season. Rather have him defend all match than attacking like Messi and just watch when we concede.

  4. Wenger shouldn’t have rushed Coquelin back,

    And what do you mean by this team should beat Olympiakos tonight? ?

    Theres only cech and Ramsey missing from that line up,
    It’s not as if we have half the team missing ?
    Thats it… thats almost all our key players playing tonight!

    “This team should win tonight” ???
    as if the reserves are playing! ????

  9. Wenger really showing alot respect for Ospina my playing him in champions league on the bounce! And not forgetting playing him against Tottenham in C1cup.

    1. We had three matches in 7 Days, so we could not expect Ospina to play all three matches. Also there was only 72 hours between the CL match and Chelsea match. Wenger thought that the Chelsea match was going to be the harder of the two so decided to play Ospina in CL match

      Again we play CL tonight and United in a few days so Wenger made the right decision to rest Cech for United.

      Also, Ospina was fantastic last season, so Wenger respects and trusts him a lot. That’s why Szczesny was sent on loan.

      We are really lucky to have Cech, Ospina and Szczesny

    2. Absolutely. It’s the best front 4 we could put out there with Coquelin to help both defense and attack and Cazorla b2b, it’s a perfect attack

      Just hope OX and Walcott are on their game. I never worry about Alexis and Mesut

  12. Mourinho is very funny,he was asked about his team selection,if the team reflects to his changes during the second half against Newcastle and he couldn’t hide his foolishness saying “His team was fantastic against Arsenal for 90 mins”. He must be feeling lonely since Wenger isn’t interested in war of words with him.

  23. Honestly I have been a fan for almost 15 years but every year arsenal looks worst. Olympiacos I outplaying us these are players that plays for club that gets relegated stupid squad and even more pathetic coach.

  26. Theoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

  39. Although Ospina made the initial mistake which usually happens in the toddler’s matches, first time in my life I have seen the 5th official speak out. Strange

  42. When i said ospina should go and sczesny should stay and learn under czech i got abuse on this blog. This keeper is a f####g liability and so is wenger for playing him.

    1. If it was scenty it would have been more.
      It’s the frskin team selection…we didn’t tske thisbucl seriously
      Wel…Wenger didnt

    1. Fcuking useless! At the end of the day this squad aint good enough! Wenger dont know how to put together a decent squad anymore

      2. How unlucky are we? Isn’t it funny how whenever we lose, the officials are against us? At least Diego Costa isn’t playing for Olympiacos, or else we’d be losing by a much larger margin.

        One day, Arsenal won’t need officials, luck and favors from other teams to have a good season. One day, Wenger will be gone, along with Arteta, Flamini, Mertesacker and Giroud. I

  47. Now..am I gonna get thumbed down again for saying we shouldn’t think of manu but of olympiakos?
    So…ya a ay los focus on the league??
    Ffs team selection….
    Fault for not buying ?
    Why fix it if it ain’t fkkk broken??????????
    Lo si g at home to olympiakos is not taking the game seriously

  48. Hehe, Munchen raping Zagreb at home 4-0, Olympiacos raping us AT HOME.

    I don’t think we will even make it to Europa League. We are a disgrace to English Football (luckily we are not the only team).

  50. If we are ANY sort of team we will regroup and win 4-2.
    BTW, I know lots of Ramsey haters on here, but I think we’re missing him.

  52. well you stupid punks, and you dare to trash tllk me down for saying that Arsenal are poor and Wenger is finished.

    1. I agree. Hes done! Do we not defend set pieces in training? Too many times this happens. New ideas are needed. We have always been great going forward and that will not change but by god we need something done about this set piece we always concede from. Turning backs on shot at ut goal is a disgrace, i mind John Terry (hated but great cb) thrown his head in the road to block it!! Thats defending with balls… what this Arsenal team lacks

  53. I’d be mad but then I remember that it’s the champions league, we’re just here to make up the numbers (especially this year considering we’re the only team in our group who didn’t win their respective league) and AW already won it in his mind by qualifying and getting that cash for it that he doesn’t spend. Total joke.

  54. It was Ospina’s fault, yes, but noone is 100% sure that whether the ball went across the line or not. Not even commentators

  55. Right Gooners ffs what the hell is going on!! My bad i said earlier best starting 11 i forgot cech wasnt in goal… why is he not playing?? Fa n Capital cup for Ospina simple as that. Now i never expected us to win the competition but holy god we are awful in Europe… lets finish 3rd and go in to europa league where we should be really! Have u saw the bayern score bdw?? No wins going against back to back games against them ?? no wins and possibly last in the group if we lose tonight!!

    3points off top of league ones will say but we all know we fall away, challenge for top 4 and stay that way while wenger is there.

    Was looking forward to seeing this starting 11 this evenin, great attackn but lack composure! Defence was unlucky tbh but Arsenal should be blowing teams like dynamo/olympiacos if we are to even show we are capable of winning it

  57. Teams do make mistakes, but the fact is that Arsenal fails to take control, that bad we are playing. No excuses.

  61. Oh dear……Europe really isn’t our ‘thing’ is it?

    So why are we so obsessed with 4th place????!!!?

    Beats me. 🙁

  63. We will not get close to cl top brass under wenger … Said it once will say it a million times .,.. Sanchez a one man show up front Walcott will slways be given chances with players we have but never create them himself … Quality strikers do both making defences nervous and prone to mistakes … Wonder how our idiot statisticians measure that …

  65. For how long will Sánchez and Ozil stay? I don’t think they are willing to remain at Arsenal if Wenger gets another contract, despite what they may say in interviews. Perhaps these pathetic displays on the CL will be enough to get Wenger sacked, since we’ll not get much money.

    Meanwhile, Bayern are trashing Zagreb, and they already beat Olympiacos 3-0. They’re showing us what top class teams do to small sides: They punish their every mistake, they show them how football is played and they make these sides leave the competition wishing they’d never got into it in the first place. I hope I’m wrong, but I think this is what will happen to us on those back to back clashes.

      1. Sánchez got a great assist, and he already saved us many times last season. Ozil created enough chances this season for us to be on a much better situation, if not in the CL, certainly in the Premier League.

        1. I think they’re great players, but if we’re losing, THEY are part of the problem. They owe Arsenal, not the other way round.

          1. I aggree. Even if they leave Arsenal, I’ll still support the team. Still, I don’t think Messi would be able to save us when the whole team is playing that badly.

      2. But nevermind, Giroud will be back against Bayern, and he won’t even need the chances Ozil creates, because he creates his own chances and scores when he wants… My mistake, we had a player like that, but he left us for green pastures.

  70. Alexissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

  75. Wtf! Is going on here? ???
    Since when do we concede a goal,
    straight after scoring one ourselves? ?
    especially against an average team!

    Wtf!!!! ?

  82. told you that Arsenal are breaking records for the worst. Even lady luck is not giving a F about us anymore

  87. “”””Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes””””””” Beware of the Greeks bearing Gifts ……. Here you go WENGER your gift, loosing to Zagreb and Olympiakos tells you is time to go.

  89. Ok..now can somebody thumb me down for sayin we totally ignored for thinking of manu??

    The only way I will forgive wenger is winning epl fa cup AND league cup.

    Cause ucl is finished mates.

    I m am officially AN AOB now

  90. Can we officially call ozil a flop ?

    Do we still think this is the ox’s year ?

    Can’t wait to see what Bayern do to us !!! ???

    At least we still have that 200 mil in the bank though ….

  92. Ooooops… I am not even goin to quarrel.. sigh.. weekend we beat leicester an everyone was like oh Arsenal is back!!! i was like lets just actually wait and see, dont jump the gun, but i received so msny thumbs down.. what you guys have to say now?? ppl on here are too reactive after every result there feelings about the club and the players change. I will always say the same things until they are changed.

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