There are two Champions League matches involving English teams on Wednesday with Arsenal hosting Olympiakos and Chelsea travelling to Spain to take on Valencia. Both sides won in the Premier League at the weekend so can they repeat the dose in Europe?
Arsenal v Olympiakos
The Gunners were desperately in need of a win at the weekend and it duly came against Bolton, with the 3-0 success lifting spirits around the Emirates and moving the club further away from the bottom of the table.
But now attentions turn back to Europe, with Arsene Wenger’s men looking to build on their encouraging 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund in the opening round of matches.
And the fixture schedule has been kind to the Frenchman as the side that look like being the weakest in Group F are the visitors in mid-week.
The Greeks lost 1-0 to Marseille in their opener and, despite being unbeaten in their domestic league after just two games, should not prove too much of an obstacle for the north Londoners.
Robin van Persie remains key to Arsenal’s chances and, as the news that Jack Wilshere has been ruled out for the majority of the season left a cloud over the Emirates, Wenger will look to his Dutch striker to lead by example and lift the gloom.
He may be stalling on new contract talks to see where the club is in 12 months’ time, but the former Feyenoord star gives nothing less than 100 per cent for his side and, with a superb goalscoring record, is a good bet to add to the 100 goals he has scored for the club to date.
Defensive problems have haunted the Gunners in recent times but Per Mertesacker has hinted that Wenger’s rearguard have been working overtime to sort things out and he feels that their performance against Bolton proved that they are on the right track.
Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun have made solid, if unspectacular, starts to their Arsenal careers and it is time one or both stepped up to provide something extra in the goal column.
Arsenal still have plenty of work to do both domestically and in Europe but the signs are there that things might be starting to click into place and a resounding Champions League victory could be just the tonic they need.
Odds: Arsenal 4/11, Olympiakos 8/1, draw 4/1
Valencia v Chelsea
Valencia were unbeaten and second in the La Liga standings until Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Sevilla and they have now dropped to seventh in a very tight table.
They will be looking to get back on track and record their first Champions League win of the season on Wednesday but will face a Chelsea side who are full of confidence following their 4-1 victory over Swansea.
Fernando Torres seems to have found his touch in front of goal at long last for the Blues and, while he will be out of action in the Premier League due to Saturday’s red card, the Spaniard is eligible to play in Europe and will surely want to pay back his team-mates for Saturday’s indiscretion with a goal or two.
The west Londoners opened their European campaign with a solid 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen and it remains to be seen whether boss Andre Villas-Boas goes to Spain with three points in mind or sets his side up to be hard to beat.
The man they will have to stop is Roberto Soldado, who has already bagged five goals in just three La Liga appearances and he will be Los Che’s biggest goal threat at the Mestalla.
But they have quality throughout the side and are tipped as one of the sides that could break the duopoly at the top of Spanish football this season.
Chelsea are good enough to win the match but, with Valencia enjoying home advantage and desperate to get back on track, it would be no surprise to see this one end in a draw.
Odds: Valencia 2/1, Chelsea 6/4, draw 9/4
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