We begin our Champions League conquest today in Italy. It’s a new season, new format and new hope to win something, or at least make it to the end. All of Arsenal are ready to make an impact and players, who have dreamt of playing in Champions League, are going to start today in an attempt to prove they are one of the best football players on the planet.
We, as a club, has come a long way. Last 10-15 years haven’t been good, but we are fighting on two fronts and I’m excited than ever. Martin Odegaard’s unavailability makes me a bit nervous but someone from that playing XI will take up the opportunity to let us not miss our captain.
Let’s go through the new format, whom we are going to play in Champions League this year in League Phase and what’s my expectation against Atlanta today.
Champions League new format explained
We have a change to the Champions League format from this year. There are 36 teams participating, and each club will play against 8 others club (4 away, 4 home games). Top 8 teams out of the 36 will qualify automatically for the round of 16 knockout stage, while the teams finishing between 9th and 24th place will have to compete in a play off in a home and away game.
Rest 12 teams will be eliminated.
So, we have 4 extra teams this year. There is no home and away in the first round called League Phase, you get to play 8 different teams with half of those games at home and other half away. Every other team does the same and the top 8 of this League Phase table qualifies for the round of 16. The other 8 teams are selected between the next 16 spots, where they play a home and away game against another team and the best 8 of these qualifies as well.
Right, so we have been left with 16 teams now after League Phase. From round of 16, the format remains same as last year, a home and away game till finals with whoever losing gets eliminated. Final remains a single game at a neutral venue.
So, which 8 teams are playing?
Arsenal Champions League fixtures
We get to play Atlanta, Inter, Sporting, Girona away from home and games against PSG, Shakhtar, Monaco and Dinamo at home.
Atlanta v Arsenal – Sep 19th
Arsenal v PSG – Oct 01
Arsenal v Shakhtar Donetsk – Oct 22
Inter Milan v Arsenal – Nov 06
Sporting v Arsenal – Nov 26
Arsenal v Monaco – Dec 11
Arsenal v Dinamo Zagreb – Jan 22
Girona v Arsenal – Jan 29
If you ask me, we have a rather easier Champions League draw but you can’t take a CL game lightly. Only last night, City dropped points against Inter at home in a goalless draw.
With the new format, there’s a challenge to finish in the top 8 to avoid 2 extra knockoff games and to qualify directly to the round of 16. To do that, you indirectly compete with the likes of Man City, Liverpool, Bayern, PSG, Juventus, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Leverkusen, AC Milan and Dortmund. That’s 12 top teams in Europe and there are few others which can beat any team on their best days. We are playing one of these today – Atlanta.
Atlanta v Arsenal
We are opening our Champions League campaign today against Atlanta. They are the current Europa League winners who beat the likes of Liverpool and Leverkusen last year to win the trophy. They will make sure we don’t have an easy game.
In team news, we have a good news regarding Bukayo. He has travelled with the team to Italy and Calafiori is back with the team as well. Declan Rice will be present after his suspesion in Premier League. We needed him at this stage. Zinchenko is out injured but Timber has done a good job and we most likely won’t miss him. Mikel Merino is out for some time. The only concern for us is the Odegaard’s injury. There’s no proper back up and unless someone (Ethan) steps up, we are going to struggle both in EPL and CL. Hopefully, it’s only a slight drop in performance which we can manage.
I expect us to play the same backline of White, Gabriel, Saliba, Timber with Raya in goal. Jorginho will make way for Declan Rice and Partey and Trossard will fill the other 2 places. Saka, Havertz, and Martinelli will pick themselves up. Trossard did a good job, but he is a winger, not a mid. I so wish, ESR was still with us today. Anyways, go grab that opportunity Nwaneri.
Expectations?
Lets have some high expectation from a club fighting for the domestic league and the CL, having spent more than half a billion dollar, shall we? Champions League games can be unexpected but we should be winning today and with couple of goals. With about 15 top teams fighting for that 8 position to avoid getting into an extra play-off game, every goal will matter. Goal difference can be the decider between a 8th place finish or the 9th.
Lets go out there, score couple of goals and get back home to face Man City. Martinelli to score today, that’s my bet.
Right, that’s all for today. See you during the game.
TRVL
Agree but these are footballers and ref’s we’re talking about the capacity to do something stupid is not something that should be dismissed.
Are we surprised? Not a jot!
Saliba looked to drift away from him and the keeper might have done better.
That’s what a proper CF does.. score a goal on his own.. Are you listening Mikel?
maybe MA’s right, who the fuck needs a real Striker
Haarland will score again he looks really in the mood
Partey is looking lively though.
I think that Gabs cheated a bit too early, as it’s clear that Calafiori is out ther to press a bit higher, so once we gave the ball up cheaply Gabs was never going to catch Haaland…Raya probably should have come straight out and caught him by surprise, as he had no logical passing partner
Tony
I wouldn’t bet against you.
there
shit, we should be down by 3
MA’s thinking why the fuck didn’t I bring my favourite bus
Rodri’s might have done something serious there he looks in a lot of pain.
What the fuck is Timber doing holding the player like that?
Tony—i think that’s more about him planting wrong than anything related to our player’s actions
Look at the space Haaland had for the pass for his goal?
we should be happier than a pig in shit if Rodri goes out, considering his undefeated record
A very short match day blog is live…
Timber wasn’t marking Rodri our player was Partey.
No suggestion of a foul he just jarred it.
Notice how Pep subs a player who’s hurt his knee and doesn’t send him back out with an ACL?
Pick that out – this suddenly got interesting.
we had better be careful, as Rodri going out early, regardless of the cause, will put the ref on notice
Cauliflower!
the ref helped us out a bit there…great strike by Calafiori
Kroenke
You tit!
Great strike by the Italian with no back
lift but good power.
MA might have finally found a recruit with actual goals in his boots…unfortunately he plays on the backline, albeit likely not for long in this shoehorning cumbucket side
So can Havertz play LB and Calafiori play 9? Is that the next pivot?
Tony—he did play LB for the Krauts last season, so you just never know
maybe the yellows are glued into Oliver’s pocket today
To the tune of ‘That’s Amore’…
When the ball hits the goal
Like a huge sausage roll
Calafiori!
in many ways, White is like a poor man’s Walker, as neither provide much up top, but the latter will provide far more protection for any wide side players because he will make far more overlapping runs
A cumbucket played a part in my trip to the dry cleaners Vieira…
New post, guys.
KP—my father, who might be best described as the Lemmy of Crooners, used to sing that song when I was a child…hopefully that won’t be too triggering for me lol
Brilliant KP Calafiori song
Ambarish
Get everyone to go over at half time.
Marc
A bit of artistic licence mate! I think Fiori means flowers in Italian so I’m sticking with it. After all , we need some veg and fibre in the team after Danny Onions went back to Spain.
Did I just see a FB overlap a forward / winger in a red shirt?
You need to make an osso buco tonight in honour of that goal.
Big miss by big Gabs