Marseille v Arsenal Champions League Betting Odds – 19.10.11

Tough night in France awaits Gunners

Arsenal Arsene Wenger
Arsenal Arsene Wenger - © GEPA pictures

Arsenal head  to France on Wednesday in the Champions League, looking for a positive result which will help them overhaul Marseille in the race for top spot. The Gunners secured a 1-1 draw in their opening Champions League fixture away at Borussia Dortmund, and then followed that up with a 2-1 home win against Olympiacos. However, there is a big story because against the Greeks, Arsenal were really wide open at the back, and Olympiacos had their chances to win the match. The defence has been a big problem for Arsenal this season, and is why they are struggling the Barclays Premier League and why they do not look a strong long term bet in winning the Champions League outright this season. The Gunners go into the match on the back of a 2-1 win over Sunderland at the Emirates in the league on Sunday, a game again, in which their defence looked anything but solid. That is a big problem for boss Arsene Wenger, that coupled with the fact that Robin van Persie is pretty much carrying the team going forward. Their trip to Marseille is not going to be an easy one at all, and it will be the toughest opposition which they have faced so far. Arsenal failed to secure top spot in last year’s tournament in the group stage, and paid the price with an early meeting against Barcelona in the knock-outs. So winning the group is vitally important if they are to keep their heads above water, but of the two sides, the French have started the stronger. That is not to say that Marseille have not been without their troubles, as they are struggling in the French domestic league, with just one win from their opening ten fixtures. They go into the match against Arsenal on the back of three straight draws, but their form is starting to pick up, going unbeaten in four after three straight defeats there. So this should be an even contest, as Marseille are quite a strong, physical side which can cause teams problems, and looked brilliant going forward against Dortmund. Arsenal, for their part are stroking the ball around nicely, as is their style, but they are offering so much less penetration and thrust going forward than you equate them with. You feel that they would be so much worse off without Robin van Persie.

So on to the stats, and we see that Arsenal have never lost an away match to a French side, so that is a good trend to look at for your Marseille v Arsenal betting. Interestingly, the two sides have never met before, but of course, we have seen a bit of them recently, as they faced both Chelsea and Manchester United in last season’s competition. Marseille lost at Stamford Bridge, but secured a win against the Blues at the Stade Velodrome. They held Man Utd to a 0-0 draw at home, before losing at Old Trafford. But overall, Marseille have a pretty strong home record against English side, winning 7, drawing 1 and losing just two. So Didier Deschamps’ men are not going to be any kind of pushover for Arsenal, and will punish the Gunners for defensive lapses. The Gunners last played in France back in the 2002/03 season when they won 1-0 at Auxerre in the Champions League, making it three straight wins on the road in France. Arsenal have a W4 D3 L0 record in France, so this match looks as if it is set up nicely. However, there is another big stat to consider on behalf of the Gunners, and that is their recent away from in the Champions League. The Gunners have lost six of their last eight matches away from home in the competition, so that doesn’t make good reading at all. Marseille are also on a run of three straight Champions League fixtures, so Arsenal will have their work cut out if they are going to come away with anything. Marseille are yet to conceded in the Champions League, so it is going to be another big night of responsibility on the shoulders of Robin van Persie up front for Arsenal.

Marseille v Arsenal Betting Odds
Marseille to win: 7/5 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Arsenal to win: 11/5 at Ladbrokes

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