Arsenal seek winning outcome in Olympiacos return

Arsenal FC are back at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, where they lost on matchday six 12 months ago, for Arsène Wenger's 150th UEFA Champions League match knowing even victory may not be enough to finish top of Group B.

• A point behind FC Schalke 04 and with the head-to-head record favouring the German side, Arsenal must win and hope Schalke drop points at Montpellier Hérault SC. A 2-0 victory at home to the French team on matchday five guaranteed Arsenal's campaign would for a 13th successive season carry on into the new year.

• On the same night, Olympiacos seemed to be edging towards the point in Gelsenkirchen that would keep alive their qualifying hopes, only for a 77th-minute Christian Fuchs goal to ensure the Greek champions will finish third and move into the UEFA Europa League round of 32.

• In their matchday two meeting, Arsenal went in front through Gervinho and, though Kostas Mitroglou headed the equaliser, second-half goals from Lukas Podolski and substitute Aaron Ramsey gave Arsenal the points.

• Wenger has won 68 of his 149 UEFA Champions League matches as a coach, drawing 39 and losing 42. Only Sir Alex Ferguson has overseen more games in the competition (187).

Previous meetings
• The teams are in the same UEFA Champions League group for the third time in four seasons, and each of the previous five fixtures has been won by the home side. A year ago Olympiacos took a 2-0 lead through Rafik Djebbour and David Fuster and although Yossi Benayoun pulled one back, François Modesto made the final score 3-1.

• The lineups on 6 December 2011 were:
Olympiacos: Megyeri, Maniatis, Modesto, Mellberg, Djebbour (Papazoglou 90), Mirallas, Fuster (Abdoun 64), Holebas (Orbaiz 37), Papadopoulos, Marcano, Torossidis.
Arsenal: Fabiański (Mannone 25), Vermaelen, André Santos (Miquel 51), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Squillaci, Djourou, Arshavin, Frimpong, Chamakh, Benayoun, Coquelin (Rosický 67).

• Olympiacos also came out on top in the 2009/10 fixture in Piraeus, another matchday six contest, winning 1-0 through Leonardo's goal. In both cases Arsenal won the reverse fixtures, 2-1 and 2-0.

Match background
• In their 14th UEFA Champions League campaign, Olympiacos have failed to match their feats of both 2009/10 and 2007/08 when they reached the round of 16.

• Arsenal, involved in the group stage for the 15th campaign in a row, have qualified for the last 16 for the 13th time in succession and are now aiming for a ninth group victory in that time. In 2011/12 Wenger's side departed in the round of 16 for the second season running.

• The matchday one win at Montpellier was only Arsenal's third in their last 14 away matches in the competition proper, a run that includes eight defeats.

Team ties
• Bacary Sagna and Rafik Djebbour were team-mates at AJ Auxerre from 2000 to 2003, Abou Diaby joining them in 2002. Sébastien Squillaci and Modesto were team-mates at AS Monaco FC from 2004 to 2006.

• Ariel Ibagaza and Santi Cazorla played together at Villarreal CF from 2008 until 2010. David Fuster joined them in 2009/10 after a one-season loan at Elche CF.

• Roy Carroll was on the winning side in Manchester United FC's 2003/04 FA Cup semi-final against the Gunners but lost in the following season's final, with Arsenal winning 5-4 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. That was his last game for United and the last trophy Arsenal won.

• Marouane Chamakh scored FC Girondins de Bordeaux's winner in a 2-1 second-leg defeat of Olympiacos in 2009/10 UEFA Champions League round of 16.

• Per Mertesacker's SV Werder Bremen lost 3-1 at home to Olympiacos on 3 October 2007, their first away win in the UEFA Champions League at the 32nd attempt. Vassilis Torossidis played for the visitors, whose third goal was scored by Darko Kovačević, now the club's technical director.

• Wenger's Monaco lost 2-1 on aggregate to Olympiacos in the 1992/93 European Cup Winners' Cup second round.

• Wojciech Szczęsny was sent off for co-hosts Poland in the 69th minute of UEFA EURO 2012's opening match against Greece. Giannis Maniatis, Torossidis and José Holebas all featured for Greece in a 1-1 draw.