LONDON: Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund meet in a Champions League Group F match in north London on Wednesday with both teams hoping the momentum of their recent excellent domestic form will sweep them towards the last 16 of the competition.
The English side are far better placed to do that than the German champions as they lead the group with eight points, one clear of Olympique Marseille, who in turn are three ahead of Dortmund with Olympiakos Piraeus in last place on three.
A spot in the knockout round for the 12th successive season is assured if Arsenal win and if the other group result goes their way they could qualify with a draw at home, where they have only lost one of their last 36 Champions League matches.
Arsene Wenger’s side have recovered from a poor start to the season and continued their revival with a fifth successive Premier League win at Norwich City on Saturday to take their recent unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions.
“Five weeks ago we were 17th in the league and I had to answer a question about whether I thought we would battle relegation,” Wenger said. “At the time I said no but in football things change quickly. We are back in a stronger position.”
Dortmund, who won their first group match at the fourth attempt when they beat Olympiakos 1-0 on Nov 1, will take great heart from their 1-0 win over Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday — their sixth league win in their last seven matches. (Agencies)