Champions League: Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund match preview

Arsenal look to extend their good run of form
tonight with a matchup against last year’s Champions League runners-up Borussia
Dortmund.

Since the start of the season in all competitions, Arsenal has won 11 of their 13 games, their only loss being against Aston Villa on the 1 September. Having beaten both Marseilles and Napoli in their Champions League campaign, the Gunners will strive to maintain their perfect record in the competition against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, something that will put them in a strong position to win the group. This game is widely seen as the start of a tough stretch of fixtures for Arsene Wenger’s team over the next month, with opponents including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and a repeat of their Champions league match-up tonight away from the Emirates. Despite losing to Napoli at the start of their European football campaign, Borussia Dortmund lie second in the German Bundesliga, just one point behind leaders Bayern Munich.
KICK-OFF: Tuesday, 7.45pm
PAST MEETINGS…
Arsenal 2 (Van Persie 2) B Dortmund 1 (Kagawa), Champions League, Group Stage, November 2011
B Dortmund 1 (Perisic) Arsenal 1 (Van Persie), Champions League, Group stage, September 2011
B Dortmund 2 (Silva, Rosicky) Aresnal 1 (Henry), Champions League, Group stage, October 2002
Arsenal 2 (Bergkamp, Ljungberg) B Dortmund 0, Champions League, Group stage, September 2002
STATS…
Arsenal's home record against German clubs is W9 D1 L3; overall it is W13 D5 L8.
The Gunners are in the group stage for the 16th season in a row.
Dortmund are in their ninth Champions League campaign. They were victorious in the 1997 edition and last season was their most successful campaign since then, remaining unbeaten until the semi-final second leg when they lost 2-0 at Real Madrid CF.
Ozil faced Dortmund four times for Real Madrid in last season's Champions League. In the group stage his 89th minute free-kick earned a 2-2 draw.
ODDS…
Arsenal to win: 2.3
B Dortmund to win: 3.2
Draw: 3.5
TV: Live on ITV at 7:45pm, highlights on ITV at 10:35pm