stnadard liege

Arsenal stepped up a gear on Match Day four to dispose of Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in a comfortable 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners are four points clear of Olympiacos at the top of Group H, and will seal top spot with a victory over Standard Liege on Tuesday. Arsene Wenger’s men though didn’t quite have the ideal preparation, as Sunderland gate-crashed their run of good form by beating Wenger’s troops 1-0 in North London on Saturday. That loss, combined with Manchester United’s win over Everton, meant that Arsenal slipped down into third place in Premier League, with a tasty clash against leaders Chelsea to come next Sunday. They reconvene after a busy international week, with no less that 11 of their players on duty for their countries. Frenchmen Bacary Sagna and William Gallas were in action against Ireland, while Croatian striker Eduardo was the pick of the bunch, netting twice in his country’s win over Liechtenstein.

Arsenal have only dropped two points out of the four fixtures in the Champions League campaign so far, with a draw against AZ Alkmaar. They are averaging over two goals per game. They got themselves a good draw for the Group Stages and are reaping the benefits, being clearly the stand out side in the Group. They have been rocked though by the news that in form striker Robin Van Persie will be missing for around 6 weeks, after picking up an injury for his country in a friendly against Italy recently. Arsenal have also lost striker Nicklas Bendtner, who was recently awarded the title of 2009 Danish Player of the Year (check out his awesome goal against Portugal in the World Cup 2010 Qualifiers) for several weeks after surgery on his groin, and went with Eduardo and Nasri up front on Saturday. That failure to register a goal against Sunderland, was the first time in 20 matches that they have not scored, having indeed lit up the Premier League with their attacking prowess at the start of the season.

Cesc Fabregas is arguably Arsenal’s most influential player, and along with the likes of Arshavin, Walcott, Ramsey and Rosicky in midfield, Wenger has a lot of a talent, young talent at his disposal. They will just need to stick to their normal game, and they should have no trouble in cruising past Standard Liege. But then, that is what everyone thought would happen on Match Day 1, when the two sides met in Belgium. Liege raced out to an early 2-0 lead, which initiated a strong Arsenal comeback in the second half to take the fixture 3-2. Standard Liege will be having qualification hopes of their own, and would do themselves a massive favour by beating Arsenal, as it will keep them on the heels of second placed Olympiacos. The Greeks face off against the disappointing AZ Alkmaar on Tuesday. Liege have won one, drawn one and lost two in their Champions League campaign, and as much as they are dreaming of a big night in North London, it is difficult to see them posing a big threat to the Gunners.

Arsenal to win: 1/3 at Bet365
Draw: 9/2 at SkyBet
Standard Liege to win: 11/1 at Paddy Power

Betting Advice: The Sunderland defeat may have rocked them, but Arsenal are more than good enough at home in the Champions League to see of the challenge of Standard Liege. Arsenal still are playing slick football, and always create chances. Liege lost on the weekend too, and that was only their second defeat in the league this season. Comfortably a good couple of goals better than their opponents, Arsenal should have a comfortable ride and give the fans back at the Emirates something to cheer about again after Saturday’s massive Premier League blow.
Arsenal -1 Asian Handicap – ½ at Bet365