But the pressure from the supporters will once again start to weigh on Wenger if the Gunners fail to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition for a 16th season in a row.
Arsenal were supposed to stroll through this group with Bayern Munich, yet they face an unenviable task in Athens, where they arrive having lost three of their five Champions League matches so far.
The fluctuation between hope and disappointment, expectation and infuriation, has defined Arsenal’s campaign in Europe. They suffered embarrassing defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos; they secured a historic home win over Bayern and then duly got smashed to pieces in the return game in Munich.
The north London club do not deserve to progress to the last 16 - the stage at which they have been dumped out of the competition in the last five years - but they at least have a chance at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
Wenger’s side must win by two clear goals or by any margin if they score three goals or more.
It is an intimidating task against an Olympiacos side that have won all 12 of their domestic fixtures this season, have beaten Arsenal in their previous three encounters in Athens and are unbeaten in six homes Champions League ties against Premier League opposition.
It is tempting to expect some sort of brave failure in the same manner that they beat Monaco 2-0 in the second leg of their last 16 tie last season only to be knocked out on away goals.
It would be yet more proof that the current squad, despite back-to-back FA Cup triumphs, remain nearly men. The priority this season is to win the Premier League but how will they handle the pressure of the run-in if they can’t even qualify from a straightforward Champions League group?
Their carelessness in Europe could cost them even more if they fail on Wednesday and have to drop down to the Europa League. It is a competition in which Wenger has almost no interest but would add nine matches and thousands of miles of travelling to Arsenal’s season should they progress to the final.
There has been much cause for optimism for Arsenal this season. They sit second in the Premier League table, they have beaten Bayern and blown away Manchester United, while Mesut Ozil is in sensational form.
But after one win in their last four league outings and a constant stream of injury problems, there is a feeling that their campaign is heading for an inevitable disappointment.
Almost all hope will be resting on Ozil as Wenger is expected to name another patched-up starting XI that reflects an injury crisis that has got out of hand and threatens to derail the season.
Star forward Alexis Sanchez has returned to Chile and is not expected to return before the New Year because of a hamstring problem while first-choice central midfielders Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin are both sidelined for months with knee ligament injuries.
0 Response to "Champions League disaster would derail Arsenal's season"