CL Game 2,Day 1

Arsenal vs Olympiakos

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal

Wenger will be without midfielder Denilson, whose back problem has been diagnosed as a fracture that will keep him out of action for a further two months, while striker Nicklas Bendtner will be unavailable following a minor car crash on Sunday.Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is not expected to have recovered fully from a chest virus, so Vito Mannone should continue between the sticks. Samir Nasri is still recuperating from a broken leg, but Theo Walcott has recovered from a back injury and could feature, possibly by coming off the bench.

Last starting XI (v Fulham): Mannone; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy; Song, Diaby, Fabregas; Bendtner, Arshavin (Rosicky 69), Van Persie (Eboue 84).

Squad: Mannone, Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen, Sagna, Song, Diaby, Fabregas, Arshavin, Eduardo, Van Persie, Szczesny, Rosicky, Eboue, Silvestre, Ramsey, Gibbs, Wilshere, Vela, Watt, Walcott.


Olympiacos

Zico will be missing attacking midfielder Luciano Galletti and English striker Matt Derbyshire, formerly of Blackburn Rovers; both are nursing injuries.

Last starting XI (v Panionios): Nikopolidis, Zewlakow, Mellberg, Avraam Papadopoulos, Raul Bravo, Zairi (Stoltidis 75), Dudu, Ledesma, Leonardo (Oscar Gonzalez 88), Diogo, Torosidis (Mitroglou 81).

Squad: Nikopolidis, Zewlakow, Mellberg, Avraam Papadopoulos, Raul Bravo, Zairi, Dudu, Ledesma, Leonardo, Diogo, Torosidis, Stoltidis, Oscar Gonzalez, Mitroglou, Panagopoulos, Pardo, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Domi, Galitsios, Maresca, Giannis Papadopoulos.

PREDICTION

The mantra in the Champions League group stage is to win your home games, and that is certainly what Arsenal will be aiming to do against a side who had acquired a reputation as notoriously bad travellers in European competition until recently. Until losing to Manchester United in last season's semi-final, Arsenal had gone five years without suffering a home defeat in the Champions League - a run spanning 23 matches and stretching back to April 2004 - and the defeat was also their first in the Champions League at the stadium in 18 matches there, including qualifying games. Olympiacos will provide tough opposition, but the Gunners should edge it.

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos(www.goal.com)