The Karaiskakis Stadium in the Greek port city of Piraeus beckons for Arsenal this evening as they attempt round off Group H on a positive note with a win over Olympiacos. Having already cemented their position at the summit of their group with a victory over Standard Liege a fortnight ago, the Gunners will field somewhat of a second-string side in Greece tonight in an effort to conserve energy ahead of this weekend’s trip to Anfield.

Arsene Wenger said in his pre-match press conference yesterday that he would be travelling with “a very young team”, however the side that will take the pitch this evening may be one of the youngest the Frenchman as ever fielded in the Champions League. The only first-team regulars in the squad are the returning Theo Walcott, and Alex Song (who sat out the weekend victory over Stoke with suspension). The full 18-man squad can be seen here.

The squad list submitted by Arsene Wenger reads like more of a Carling Cup team sheet than that of the Champions League, however with nothing resting on tonight’s encounter, a trip to the fiery Karaiskakis Stadium should prove to be a great experience for Arsenal’s young Gunners. Picking a line-up for tonight’s game is somewhat difficult given the inexperienced nature of the side (Mikael Silvestre is the only Gunner over the age of thirty) however I think we’ll like up something like this:

Wilshere – Vela – Walcott
Merida – Song – Ramsey
Cruise – Silvestre – Bartley – Gillbert
Fabianski

SUBSTITUTES: Mannone, Coquelin, Eastmond, Emmanuel-Thomas, Ayling, Randall, Sunu.

Amazingly, the squad travelling to Greece will consist of an astounding ten teenagers, with defenders Tommy Cruise and Kyle Bartley likely to make their full debuts. The two English prospects are both products of Arsenal’s famed youth academy, and were each integral parts of the Gunners’ double-winning reserve side last season.

Olympiacos sit in second place in Group H, three points ahead of Standard Liege, who face struggling AZ Alkmaar tonight. Both the Greeks and the Belgians have a goal difference of minus two, meaning a victory for Standard tonight could see Olympiacos slip into third position if they are to lose to Wenger’s young Gunners. Tonight’s hosts have far more riding on this clash than Arsenal, and coach Zico will be doing everything he can to ensure his side progress to the knockout stages.

The Brazilian legend is without English striker Matt Derbyshire, who is sidelined with a groin injury, but Olympiacos are sure to be boosted by the inclusion of returning defenders Leonardo and Avraam Papadopoulos and midfielder Luciano Galletti.

Regardless of the outcome tonight I would like to see Arsenal’s young stars put in an exciting performance on the big stage – Europe is a big step up from the Carling Cup. I won’t be bothered by the scoreline as long as all the players get through the match unscathed and with a bit more experience under their belts ahead of the crucial clash with Liverpool on Sunday.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 4:46 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.