Never before can I recall such a crucial game (well, pair of games) taking place so early in the season. Just three days after their first match of the season, Arsenal will take on Celtic at Parkhead tonight, with success over two legs necessary if the Gunners wish to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League.

Previously the fourth placed team in the Premiership would have to face off against substantially weaker opposition, though UEFA have restructured their competitions this season meaning Arsenal face a tough opening to their Champions League campaign. I was thinking earlier in the week that Arsene may be holding off on spending until we ensure Group Stage qualification in order to guarantee added financial stability, and while I’m not sure that is the case it does illustrate the enormity of today’s fixture.

Both Arsenal and Celtic are coming off comfortable weekend victories, and I’m sure both sides will fancy their chances tonight. Parkhead is never an easy ground to visit, with the likes of AC Milan and Manchester United having tasted defeat there in recent years. The atmosphere at Celtic Park is sure to be electric, and it will be the first time the Gunners will experience such fervent support in Britain having never faced a Scottish side before.

When he was boss of West Brom last year, Celtic manager Tony Mowbray was lauded for employing an exciting brand of football even in the face of defeat. With so much on the line tonight I’m not sure that will be the case. I’d expect Celtic to play direct football, with Aiden McGeady and Scott McDonald likely to be the danger men for the Bhoys. Kiwi striker Chris Killen had a prolific pre-season, and may provide a threat off the bench.

Hoops centre-half Glenn Loovens is under an injury cloud ahead of tonight’s clash, with fellow Stephen McManus certain to miss out. Scotland defender Gary Caldwell will make a return to the Celtic defence after missing out on his side’s weekend victory over Aberdeen through suspension. Midfielder Shaun Maloney limped off in injury time against Aberdeen, although he will be fit to play.

Arsene Wenger’s injury list is far longer than that of Tony Mowbray. Two-goal hero and captain Cesc Fabregas is a doubt, as are Denilson and Bacary Sagna. Theo Walcott, Lukasz Fabianski, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky and Johan Djourou remained sidelined. Abou Diaby returns after being ruled out from his side’s weekend romp over Everton. Whether Arsene will opt for a more conservative formation in Europe this season remains to be seen, however assuming he goes with a 4-3-3 I’d expect something like this:

Arshavin – van Persie – Bendtner
Denilson – Song – Fabregas
Clichy – Gallas – Vermaelen – Sagna
Almunia

BENCH: Mannone, Silvestre, Gibbs, Eboue, Ramsey, Diaby, Eduardo.

That lineup assumes that Cesc, Sagna and Denilson are all fit. If they do not pass fit, I’d expect Diaby, Ramsey and Emmanuel Eboue to slot in. On paper, Arsenal have far the stronger squad despite their mounting injuries. We should beat Celtic, but to be honest I’d be very happy with a score draw. Parkhead is not an easy ground to visit, and I’m worried some of Arsenal’s more inexperienced players may struggle in such a volatile atmosphere.

A Celtic-supporting mate of mine said to me last week that he was hoping we’d get beaten on the weekend so the Hoops could catch Arsenal cold. As we all know that wasn’t the case. We’ve got plenty of momentum going into this match after a huge weekend victory and a solid pre-season, and I’m expecting that to continue tonight. C’mon you Gunners!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 9:36 AM and is filed under Arsenal, Champions League, Match Previews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.