Wenger sets nine-point home target for Arsenal
Monday, September 28, 2015
Article summary
"We cannot afford to drop points now against anybody at home," warned Arsène Wenger, whose Arsenal side may vent their matchday one frustrations on Olympiacos.
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Article body
- Arsenal playing catch-up after matchday one loss in Zagreb
- Arsène Wenger says Gunners "cannot afford to drop points" at home
- Francis Coquelin pencilled into starting XI after shaking off injury
- Outside chance of Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta appearing
- Olympiacos boss Marco Silva: "Zagreb result complicates matters for us too"
Possible lineups
Arsenal: Čech; Monreal, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Bellerín; Coquelin, Özil, Ramsey; Sánchez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott.
Out: Giroud (suspended), Wilshere (calf/shin), Rosický (knee), Welbeck (knee)
Doubtful: Coquelin (knee), Flamini (hamstring), Arteta (muscle)
Olympiacos: Roberto; Elabdellaoui, Botía, Siovas, Masuaku; Cambiasso, Salino, Kasami; Fortounis, Pardo; Ideye.
Out: Milivojević (suspended), Bouchalakis (left thigh), Maniatis (knee/match fitness)
Doubtful: Da Costa (calf), Domínguez (thigh strain)
Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager
[Francis Coquelin has been] back since yesterday and now we have to see how he responds to two days of training. [Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta] have slight muscular problems. They are not big injuries, a question of days.
Olympiacos dominate their league; they are a team with a big advantage because of that, because they can prepare for these type of games. They know how to compete in the Champions League. They are well-organised and they have some players who know the Premier League as well.
You have to win your home games if you want to qualify from the group stage – it's as simple as that. We cannot afford to drop points now against anybody at home.
Marco Silva, Olympiacos coach
We never start the game thinking it is impossible to get a result, we never think that way. We know it is a difficult game but it is a difficult competition. We know how big a team Arsenal are but we believe in our abilities. We are ready. Against Bayern we played well and we were competitive but the result didn't reflect that.
If you asked who would be the top two teams in the group, most would say Arsenal and Bayern, but football is not always like this; there is no rule that says all favourites win their games. Zagreb's result against Arsenal has made things more difficult for us, though.
Weekend results
Leicester City 2-5 Arsenal (Vardy 13 89; Walcott 18, Sánchez 33 57 81, Giroud 90+3)
Arsenal moved into the top four, Alexis Sánchez becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, Spanish Liga and Serie A.
Olympiacos 5-1 PAS Giannina (Kasami 31, Fortounis 32, Botía 42, Tzimopoulos 52og, Durmaz 72p; Lila 86)
A fifth win from five Greek Super League games for Olympiacos, and a 13th straight home league victory too.
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Arsenal: WWLLWW
Olympiacos: WWLWWW
Reporter's view: Michael Harrold (@UEFAcomMichaelH)
Fast, fluent and clinical, Arsenal were back to their best on Saturday, with Sánchez returning to form with a stunning hat-trick at Leicester. The Gunners will expect to maintain that momentum against Olympiacos, who boast a perfect record in their Super League but have never won in England. Marco Silva's side face a daunting task as the two teams look for their first points in the section.
Did you know?
The clubs are in the same group for the fourth time in seven seasons; find out more in our extensive match background.