Not The Worst Champions League Draw
Aug 27th, 2015 by 'holic
The draw for the group phase of this season’s Champions League has paired us with three sides we have met before. Indeed we are becoming very familiar with both Bayern Munich and Olympiakos. Dynamo Zagreb and their raucous ‘Blue Boys’ made quite an impression in their last fixture at the Grove nine years ago.
In our last meeting with the Germans Lukas Podolski netted in a 1-1 draw following a 0-2 home defeat two seasons ago, just a year after we won 2-0 in Munich with goals from Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud, but went out on away goals after a 1-3 reverse at the Grove. So to 2004/2005, in the round of sixteen Bayern whacked us 3-1, but a Thierry Henry goal gave us a face-saving ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ night in the return. In 2000/01 we drew at Highbury, 2-2, but Bayern proved too strong in front of their own supporters and beat us 0-1.
In 2012/13 we met Olympiacos in the group phase, winning 3-1 at home but a weakened side slipped to a 1-2 defeat in the return fixture. It had been a similar story in the preceding season when we won 2-1 at the Grove but were on the wrong end of a 1-3 scoreline in Greece. You won’t be surprised to read that was also the case in 2009/10 where we established the pattern of winning at home but then losing at Olympiacos.
In 2006/07 we faced a 4th qualifying round test against a Dinamo Zagreb team that included Luka Modric and one Eduardo da Silva. Of course the latter gave the visitors a hope of recovering the 0-3 thrashing we had dished out to them in Croatia with the opening goal at the Grove, but Freddie Ljungberg and Mathieu Flamini struck to clinch a 5-1 aggregate win for the Gunners.
Bayern will go into the competition as favourites to win the group. The change in the seeding system has seen us, quite rightly, demoted to pot two and so we were likely to be in with a big name. Should we go through it is likely we will be alongside Bayern and therefore will at least avoid them in the round of sixteen again.
The fixtures have fallen in such a way that we would hope to have a strong start and hopefully not need a result on match day six at what has become a bogey venue for us. They are ;
September 16th v Dinamo Zagreb (a)
September 29th v Olympiacos (h)
October 20th v Bayern Munich (h)
November 4th v Bayern Munich (a)
November 24th v Dinamo Zagreb (h)
December 9th v Olympiacos (a)
The draw wasn’t so kind to Manchester City who will face Juventus, Sevilla, and Borussia Monchengladbach. Hopefully a tough group will distract them from their fine start to the Premier League? One would expect their neighbours, United, to progress against PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow, and VfL Wolfsburg (come on Lord Bendtner!), and Chelsea shouldn’t struggle, one would imagine, to see off Porto, Dynamo Kiev, and Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
Come back tomorrow for a Newcastle preview. Cheers ‘holics.
44 Responses to “Not The Worst Champions League Draw”
Munich again? What, MORE beers with Lars?
Not a bad draw. Think it’s time we tumbled the Germans.
Time to munchen on ze Germans. Cheers, all!
BMBD
Fine overview Guvna.
It’s about time we twatted those lederhosen-clad tossers. We need revenge for that Robben dive at our place.
How do we get tickets for a Holics’ outing to Bavaria?
With some difficulty, Bath. Would you be averse to sitting midst our foes?
Gar nicht. Wie geht es ihnen, mein freund?
Cheers Holic,
Is it really nine years since that game against Zagreb at The Ems ? Incredible – still remember very clearly those thousands of pairs of perfectly synchronised arms and chanting. Quite a sight.
And bath,
A measured and reasonable plan and assessment of our opponents.
“Twat the lederhosen clad tossers” – I can almost hear Arsene now. 😉
All this deutsche Sprache calls for a bit of a preview by our German correspondent, Helmut Wirklichname.
Morgen vielleicht, eh bath ?
Morgen, Morgen, nur nicht heute,
Sagen alle faulen Leute. 😉
Robben, Robben ist ein falschfaller
Stark kick’ ihm jetzt in der Nadgers
Nadgers? How very Willium ‘Mate’ Cobblers of you.
Because Arsenal always make easy of minnows………..doh !!!!
How do we get tickets for a Holics’ outing to Bavaria?
Sexual favours?
Ja Danish, Ja……!!!
Ve vill Eaten ze Vinnows…..
Und Fistin zem too
Jaaa…..!!!!
cba, where are you when we need some sanity?
Cynic @ 11, Das ist schon wahr. Ich auch muss jeder Nacht sechzehn Kilometers nach dem Laternenpfahl in der Dorf spazierengehen!
Ah, the drinkers are barking again. Excellent. Loon on… 🙂
Je ne understand ein fucken word, Horst.
I see we have Goons as well as Gooners in our midst. 🙂
Speedy German attacks? I’m saying nothing about Poland.. I’m not.
I’m watching Very British Problems on Channel Four and a particular British problem that needs curing is the making of shit tv like this.
I think the Guv’nor’s post boils down to:
v Bayern Munich P8 W2 D2 L4 GF 8 GA 12
v Olympiakos P6 W3 D0 L3 GF 9 GA 8
v Dinamo Zagreb P2 W2 D0 L0 GF 5 GA 1
Hope you are right about the fast start, ‘Holic, as the last three games could yield just a single point. I can see us going to Piraeus for the last game of the group needing to avoid defeat to be sure of second place.
Quietschender Gammler Zeit.
Or should that be Quietschende Wertloszeit?
Good Abend meine Damen and Herrings !
Vee in München is looking very much vorwärts to ze annual party at our London home in dem Emirates Stadion.
Vee alvays enjoy sehr much our match mit den Gooners und kicking zer balls into ze bag of onions. It vill be gut to see your own big fucking German and little Fisch-Gott, Mesut again. Per’s wife Ulrika ist eine Handball player. Ze first time he was meeting her he knew she was a keeper. She was wearing massive gloves.
I hoffe vee can both beat Olympiakos – of course, as a team von Greece, zey have asked to borrow some,of unser players and most of our money. Cheeky Schweins ! Vee vould like to see you in ze knockout Runde for obvious reasons !
Und so, my little Würstchens, Ich must be going.
By ze way, I have just deleted all ze German contacts off my phone. It’s now Hans-free !
Auf wiedersehen !
Just watched one man score 100 at the Oval and almost win the game on his own. A bit like Thierry Henry used to for us.
Speaking of which Guv’nor Thierry scored at home not away when we beat Bayern at home but losing 3-1 at home it was too little too late.
Olympians away last as well. One day we will take a first team there !
We should get through but que sera ?
Sorry I meant 3-1at their home. Only I can clarify things and make them more confusing.
Poor eyesight on my behalf, TTG, and thank you. Suitably amended. 😉
Checking (ceching?) in from the wilds of southern Utah where the scenery is magnificent and the German tourists are numerous. COYG.
Only 1 of my wishes came true in the draw.
I asked for Zenit – Olympiakos – Gent.
Stupid Bayern. Stupid Football Gods.
It would be nice to draw with Bayern once and win one over them. But that’s only a wish.
Seems like my wishes don’t often come through though.
doh.
*come true*
Welcome bt8. If they are Bayern fans give them hell!
bt8, we had a similar experience on our trek through Southern Utah and Northern Arizona at this time of year. Asked our Native American guide in a slot canyon on how business was, and he said about 60% of his clients were German! Looking for traces of Rommel, no doubt….
Buy Ern from Munich ?
Of course we should. 😉
Yes not a bad draw but honestly couldn’t care less towards the champions league( money apart). It is a mirage as of now which we have almost no chance to win. I just hope we progress beyond the knockout stages and atleast get that hoodoo of the back.
The fixture pile up is the one that worries and it starts as early as september with away trips lined for the whole month.
Team news for tomorrow’s game does indicate the same back four that played against pool baring last minute recovery of kos. Who plays upfront remains the question but expect Giroud to start what with his record against the magpies.
Winning is all that counts, so it is a win at all cost.
No one even talking about transfer rumours does indicate that all of us have accepted that is over.
ern , eh ?
trev
he did drive das fastischenmilschenncarten in das vest
.
vi knot !
signa-eine-cuntenuppen !
*is unapologetic*
*schmiles*
steve o
*blogs accent*
(don’t try at home)
(paddy-bashing – it’s ok i’m a professional)
reverse 31
stick on end 30
.
everyone’s golden
“seems like my wishes don’t come true , doh”
only jokin
cos we all know blogs
puts on that sub-wogan genius
.
macclesfield man born and bread n beer n sex n chips n gravy http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2LrDzOwuOU
.
🙂
Mr Arsed, you ould can’t, good to see you.
So, a professional paddy basher is it? You’ll have the certificates to prove it, will you?
I don’t normally bother to follow your YouTube links, but clicked on the one from the last bar and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you. I’ll give the one above a go. Please continue to flag up those of particular interest to old farts.
Vinay,
No it doesn’t. It just means we accept it’s pointless.
i) Hear hear Trev.
ii) cba’s link@39 is another winner. Thanks again.
So its looking very much that we are not going to strengthen this squad any further.Quite unbelievable if you ask me. Even clubs that were already strong as hell went out there and did some business. Bayern won their league, Barca won the treble and still did business. I know Wenger knows best, but its just crazy that out of all the top clubs we are the only one without an outfield signing. How can a big club like us keep waiting till the end of the window to sign players that we need Lets pray Coq stay healthy all season. Not talking about a striker here, but we need cover in DM.
At last. Some football to distract from the net spend tedium. >>>>>>