In Monaco yesterday, the draw for this year’s Champions League groups took place, with eight groups being decided out of four pots of eight sides each. Arsenal were grouped with the eight top teams in Pot 1 as we have one of the eight highest coefficients in the competition, a calculation based on our yearly performance in it (we actually have the fifth highest coefficient); the benefit of this is that we could not be drawn against other Pot 1 sides, and for television purposes we could not be drawn against Manchester City in Pot 3. This year’s competition promises to be really open with very few teams having nothing to offer in terms of quality or a trip to an obscure and intimidating place.
credit to UEFA/Arsenal.com
So the draw kicked off, with Arsenal the last team to be grouped in Group H: Groups E, F, G & H are ‘blue groups’ which means we play on one matchday whilst the ‘red groups’ (A, B, C & D) play on the other; Pot 2 came next, with Arsenal getting Olympique Marseille. This is a glamour tie as well as one with interest as the Gunners were linked with a number of Marseille players but in terms of trickiness it was par-for-the-course with Arsenal avoiding harder sides like Milan, CSKA and Shakhtar and also missing out on easier trips to Benfica and arguably Lyon. We’ve never played Marseille in a competitive match before and the away trip to the Stade Velodrome should be a match to remember – though Marseille are definitely a team we could finish behind if we’re not careful.
The Pot 3 group was a lot more mixed than the one before it and it aside from Basel, it was hard to know what the easy draw would be, with daunting away trips to Zenit St. Peterburg and BATE Borisov on the cards as well as quality teams like Ajax and Lille. Arsenal got Olympiacos, a team we played two years ago and lost the away leg to – however, on reflection this was perhaps the 2nd or 3rd best draw Arsenal could have hoped for. Borussia Dortmund and Napoli, both top quality sides, were in Pot 4 due to their long absences from the competition and were alongside a number of obscure away trips, the easy pick being Genk of Belgium; however, we drew Dortmund, a team of real class but a young team that is a short trip away and a team that Arsenal should be too physical for.
Fixtures, all kick-offs 7.45pm:
13th September Dortmund Away
28th September Olympiacos Home
19th October Marseille Away
1st November Marseille Home
23rd November Dortmund Home
6th December Olympiacos Away
