Arsenal V Dortmund preview

Arsenal will hope to provide Arsene Wenger with the ideal 64th birthday present when they entertain last season's UEFA Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund.

 

Questions surrounded Wenger's future at the Emirates Stadium after a home defeat by Aston Villa in the opening Premier League game of the season.

 

 

However, Wenger and Arsenal have responded in style to sit top of the table and claim wins over Marseille and Napoli in their opening two Champions League group games.

 

Tuesday's visit of Dortmund, though, represents arguably Arsenal's biggest test to date, with Jurgen Klopp's side a completely different proposition to the team which lost 2-1 in north London two years ago.

 

A Robin van Persie double earned Arsenal the points on that occasion, with Shinji Kagawa scoring a late consolation for Dortmund, with those two players now experiencing contrasting fortunes at Manchester United.

 

Dortmund ultimately finished bottom of that group behind Arsenal, Marseille and Olympiakos, but learned from the experience to reach last season's final at Wembley, where they were beaten 2-1 by Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.

 

 

Klopp will serve the second match of a two-game touchline ban after he was sent to the stands during Dortmund's 2-1 defeat away by Napoli last month.

 

His side beat Marseille 3-0 earlier this month and victory over Arsenal in the first game of the double-header would leave Group F wide open at the halfway stage.

 

The game will also see Arsenal's record signing Mesut Ozil come up against Dortmund for the 13th time in his career.

 

Last season, Ozil faced Klopp's men four times for Real Madrid and scored in a 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the group phase.

 

SkySports