What: UEFA Champions League – Group B
Who: Schalke vs Arsenal
When: Tuesday 6th November, 2012, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Schalke Take Control of Group B
Schalke were superb in the game between these two sides at the end of October, ruthlessly punishing lacklustre Arsenal defending to seize control of Group B. The Bundesliga giants come into this game knowing they could probably afford to draw and still be in with a great chance of winning the group and progressing to the Round of 16.
At the weekend, Die Konigsblauen crashed to a 3-2 defeat at Hoffenheim, ending a run of four successive victories and falling seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich. Schalke remain in second place however, and can reflect on a highly satisfactory start to the season. The troublesome trio of Jefferson Farfan, Ibrahim Afellay and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar continue to cause problems for whoever they face, and they are all in great form ahead of this crunch Champions League clash.
Schalke have kept a clean sheet just once in 14 home games in Europe and the last time they stopped an English side from scoring on this ground was when Arsenal last visited in October 2001. If coach Huub Stevens can get his men to play as they did two weeks ago, both of those trends can be reversed.
Poor Form Continues for Wenger’s Men
Defeat to Manchester United on Saturday in the Premier League capped a miserable few weeks for Arsenal, who have not looked the same team as during the first part of the season. It has been mainly a problem in central midfield for the Gunners, whose defence remains statistically the league’s strongest, while although Olivier Giroud continues to look lively up front, Arsene Wenger’s side have struggled to control games the way the Frenchman demands. Their ball retention will have to improve if they are to prevent Schalke pinning them back in their own half as Manchester United did so effectively at Old Trafford.
Due to their problems passing the ball around in midfield, Arsenal have struggled to get their wide players involved of late and that goes some way to explaining why the Gunners have fired in fewer shots on goal than any other team in the Champions League – just 22.
These two sides both look likely to finish in the top two in the group, but Schalke now firmly have the advantage. Arsenal need to come away from this game with at least a point, ideally three, to retain hopes of winning the section. Which Arsenal will turn up?
Recent form
Schalke:
Schalke 1-0 Nurnberg (27/10; Bundesliga)
Schalke 3-0 Sandhausen (30/10; German Cup)
Hoffenheim 3-2 Schalke (03/11; Bundesliga)
Arsenal:
Arsenal 1-0 Queens Park Rangers (27/10; Premier League)
Reading 5-7 AET Arsenal (31/10; League Cup)
Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal (03/11; Premier League)
Key absences
Schalke: Christoph Metzelder
Arsenal: Abou Diaby; Lukasz Fabianski; Tomas Rosicky; Kieran Gibbs; Wojciech Szczesny; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Gervinho;Aaron Ramsey
Players to watch
Schalke – Lewis Holtby: All eyes will be on the Schalke front three, but the half English Holtby has a crucial role to play in this match. His running allied to real technical quality mean he would make an ideal fit in Wenger’s team, and he has been linked with a move to the Gunners. His burgeoning reputation will be cemented if he can showcase his qualities and ability to control midfield for Schalke once again.
Arsenal – Olivier Giroud: Giroud has been one of the few players to have played well in recent weeks for Arsenal and has been unfortunate that his hard work has not had the service it deserves from his team-mates. The former Montpellier man can cause problems for opponents from all angles and Schalke will have to keep a close eye on the Frenchman, whom they did not see until late on in the first game at the Emirates. If Arsenal are to do anything in Germany it will have something to do with the 25-year-old.
Match Prediction
While Arsenal have struggled to get shots in on goal, Schalke have actually conceded the fewest efforts on target against them in the competition, jointly with compatriots Bayern Munich. And so Arsenal really have to attack with more pace and urgency than they have shown of late. The English side still appear sluggish and Schalke’s defensive strength will make it difficult for Wenger’s side to carve out many more opportunities here.
At the other end Arsenal should be tighter than they were in the first game and it would be hard to imagine that Wenger will not opt to use an alternative to Andre Santos to curb the threat posed by Farfan and Afellay down the flanks. If it was not already obvious before the first game then Wenger will be only too aware that if his team are to have a chance of coming away with the points, they must be kept quiet.
Schalke’s industrious midfield should be good enough to keep a below par Arsenal at arm’s length. There will be little urgency on their part and combined with the North Londoners’ desire to take all three points, a hard fought game could end with both sides accepting a well-earned point at the end of it. Schalke 1-1 Arsenal.
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